Services

Hill’s Blacktop, Inc. uses and sells all SealMaster™ brand products

Seal coating | Crack filling | Patching | Overlays | Tile for underground water | Striping | Concrete

Seal Coating:

HBI uses only SealMaster™ brand sealers.

Why seal coat?


Make sure the estimates you receive spell out the following:

1. How many coats of sealer will be applied?
In a commercial or industrial application, two (2) coats is the industry standard. In some rare instances, a third coat may be applied in entrances / exits and drive lanes on parking lots where traffic volume is excessively high.

2. How will the sealer be applied?
There are three methods to apply sealer. First, by hand, using a brush or squeegee. This is not a method used by true commercial pavement maintenance contractors. Second, by spraying both coats. Third, by appling the first coat using a self propelled squeegee machine and the second coat by spraying.

See our FAQ page for explanation of benefits for applying the first coat with a self propelled squeegee machine.


3. How many pounds of sand per gallon will be used and will sand be used on both coats?
The industry standard for sand is 2-4 pounds per gallon of concentrated sealer. However, Hill’s Blacktop, Inc. uses 5-7 pounds per gallon of concentrated sealer. See our FAQ page for explanation of the benefit of this.

4. Will any additives be used?
If so, what are they for, and what is the percentage based on concentrated sealer? See FAQ page

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Crack filling:

Over time, asphalt will develop cracks. Usually, the first cracks to develop are paving seam cracks and / or cracks on the edge of the pavement. Paving seam cracks are literally that – a seam where the paver made its pass when the pavement was installed.

In Ohio, many freeze / thaw cycles are experienced throughout the winter months. This can prove to be one of the worst enemies for asphalt pavements. Unfilled cracks will become full of water, then the decline in temperatures will turn that water to ice. When water turns to ice, it expands. In turn, the cracks then become wider. Over time, unfilled cracks will continue to increase in length and width until they finally form a shattered area and / or a pothole. At this point, crack filling is no longer an option. Instead, much costlier patching will be necessary.

In the long run, crack filling proves to be the most valuable preventative maintenance that can be performed on an asphalt pavement surface. Many of our clients are on an annual crack filling program which proves to be extremely cost effective over time, as it saves them from more costly patching repairs.



Make sure the estimates you receive spell out the following:

1. Will hot or cold crack filler be applied?
Make sure that the contractor is using only hot poured rubberized crack filler. Cold crack fillers tend to crack back open upon the first freeze of the winter.

2. How many feet will be filled?
If the estimate does not spell this out, beware. Some contractors intentionally leave this off of their estimates and then later say that they only quoted a few hundred feet, when thousands of feet could have been filled.

3. What size or width of cracks will be filled?
Contractors will generally fill cracks that are ¼” or wider, or 1/8” or wider, but make sure this is spelled out in your estimate, or the contractor could say ½” after the fact. Hill’s Blacktop, Inc. fills cracks that are 1/8” or wider and not in shattered areas. (See FAQ for shattered areas).

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Patching:

Over time, asphalt pavement will fail. Failure first takes the form of a shattered area (photo left). Generally, the next step is a pothole or many potholes (photo right).

At that time, patching is necessary. If patching is not performed, the pavement continues to deteriorate, but at an accelerated rate. This is due to the fact that the existing pavement is already broken up and does not provide stability for surround pavement. If the pothole is full depth (the full depth of the asphalt thickness), water can easily penetrate the stone base, causing even more rapid deterioration that will be even more costly in the long run.

How potholes form:


Make sure the estimates you receive spell out the following:

1. That the contractor will be saw cutting and removing asphalt, not just skim patching or overlaying the deteriorated area. Some contractors will not spell this out in their estimate – which leaves it open for exactly how the work will be performed. There is a big difference in the life expectancy for a skim patched area (basically putting a bandaid on it) vs cut and patch (this is fixing the deteriorated area the correct way).

2. It’s always a good idea to make sure that quantities (amount of square yards) and / or the number of areas to be patched is specified on the estimate.

3. The estimate should also spell out how thick the patch will be – make sure it spells out how deep they plan to cut out and reinstall. Full depth (which is generally 4”) is the industry standard.

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Overlays

Over the course of time, asphalt will eventually need a new layer of asphalt on top of the existing asphalt due to significant deterioration. This is called an overlay. Typical overlay thickness (after compaction) is 1 ½” or 2”.


Make sure the estimates you receive spell out the following:

1. How thick the overlay will be after compaction?
2. Will grinding be performed where necessary (at entrances /exits, transition points, around catch basins, at handicap ramps)?
3. Will grinding at the handicap ramps be sufficient, or will they need to be removed and replaced so that water doesn’t lay in them after the overlay?
4. Are any repairs (patching) to be performed prior to the overlay?

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Tile:

 

An example of underground water seeping through the pavement.

Perforated tile is the best way to decrease and / or eliminate underground water issues. If water can be seen seeping up through the pavement , it is a good indicator that there is an underlying issue with water underneath the pavement. If left uncorrected, overtime, this will cause deterioration to the blacktop as well as the stone base underneath. Perforated tile, encased in stone, can be run underneath the pavement and tied into a catch basin or left to flow out onto a slope, pond or hillside to divert the water from the parking lot. If you think that you have underground water issues, call us, we would be happy to help you determine if tile would be helpful in your situation.


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Striping:

Hill’s Blacktop, Inc. provides striping on all services when quoted if applicable. However, if you have a need for changing your parking lot layout, or need additional stencils, or your stripes brightened up – call us, we can help you achieve those goals too.

We can also help you if you need signage installed (ex: handicap signs, visitor signs, etc.)



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Concrete:

Hill’s Blacktop, Inc. offers a wide variety of concrete services. We specialize in catch basin repairs, sidewalks (new and existing), dumpster pads, loading docks, extruded and type 6 concrete curbing, approaches and bollard installation.

Contact us today for a free estimate.


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