BEFORE                                                                         AFTER

Although we do have infra-red equipment, we have found over the years that there is a right and wrong time to do infra-red treatments.  Most often they are being done for the wrong application.  Infra-red treatments should be used to eliminate high spots or low spots.  They are not effective nor are they meant for the treatment of potholes, severe cracking or deteriorated asphalt as shown in the left photo.

To properly repair areas of deteriorated asphalt, milling and re-paving is the best solution.  The before and after pictures above are of such an area.  This is an area where we have milled down the deteriorated area to a depth of 1.5".  Then we removed the milled materials and cleaned the area.  A tack coat was applied to the surface to act as a "glue" and new surface grade hot mix asphalt was installed at the full depth of the milled area.

This method used above will last years.  Instead of heating and drying out the existing asphalt further with the use of Infra-red heat, we actually removed the top 1.5" and replaced it with all new asphalt.  And because we do not mill all the way through the asphalt, there are no through seams for water seepage.

Milling and paving these deteriorated areas is not only the most effective method of repair, it can be done for about the same cost as infra-red treatments.

Overlaying a parking lot or driveway is another occasion where milling would be used.  Where ever the overlay will meet another surface (concrete sidewalks, curbing, garage floors, apron, the street), we will mill down the asphalt where these surfaces will meet.  This will allow us to tie in flush to these surfaces with some depth to the overlay.  This will eliminate the raveling that generally occurs when feathering down asphalt to tie in to the adjoining surface.