Tag Archives: pavement

How long should asphalt cure before applying sport surfaces

Question: How long should asphalt cure before applying sport surfaces?

Answer: New asphalt should cure a minimum of 14 to 30 days, prior to application of a sport surfacing system.

Asphalt Curing & Sport Surfacing Systems

Asphalt consists of rock, generally limestone, and liquid asphalt. The liquid asphalt, also referred to as asphalt cement or asphalt binder, is the “glue” that holds the rock together and enables the paving layers to bind to the prepared base.

When asphalt is newly paved in place, it exudes some excess asphaltic oils during the initial curing of the slab. It’s important to let some of the oils cure out, before application of any coatings, sealants, and sport surfaces.

Risks of Inadequate Asphalt Curing Before Surfacing

If the asphalt is too rich with asphalt binder and hasn’t had the opportunity to cure, or release the initial gush of asphalt oils, it can potentially lead to:

Lack of proper coating system adhesion (which may result in peeling and other paint and coating failures)
Staining, yellowing, and discoloration of the sport surfaces and coatings.

What are prime conditions for asphalt curing?

Hot & sunny conditions will help to pull the rich asphalt binder up to the surface. Once the excess oils are pulled to the surface, it is also important to have rainfall. This helps to rinse some of the oils away and “unplug” the pavement voids. The combination of sun to draw the oils to the surface and water to rinse them away, allows for continuous prime curing conditions.

If the conditions are good, the asphalt can be ready to coat in a minimum of 14 days. The safer option is to wait 30 days, if time allows. If conditions are warm and sunny after paving, but the area experiences a drought, rinsing of the surface by manual methods can help to keep the curing process in motion. Indoor asphalt curing can take longer than 30 days, to ensure sufficient release of oils.

Since there are variables, and no actual testing processes to guarantee initial curing, it is best to allow proper time for adequate curing. Sport coating manufacturers & experienced sport surfacing contractors are the best source for recommendations, when it comes to proper application timing. Rushing to resurface your tennis, pickleball, or basketball court before the asphalt is ready can lead to expensive problems now or down the road.

Asphalt Color

Asphalt Color Coatings

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There are many reasons that people request colored asphalt sealers. Even though the most common form of asphalt sealers are black, there is a growing need and desire for asphalt color coatings.

We have been producing a full line of asphalt coatings for nearly 50 years, but our ColorPave system is one of the fastest growing lines over the last 10 years. The truly unique thing about ColorPave is that it can be used in so many different areas and it covers a large variety of applications.

Benefits of Color Coating Asphalt

There are quite a few benefits of color coating asphalt, but here is a short list of the most popular reasons:

Light colors to lower the asphalt pavement temperature (minimizing heat islands)
Highlighting special areas or zones (color coded areas)
Cleaner & brighter look to asphalt areas
Driveway or parking lots with combo sports court areas (i.e. driveway basketball court)
Green Bicycle Lanes (safer areas for non-automobile separation)

The ColorPave System | Asphalt Color Coating Paint

The ColorPave system is a 100% acrylic coating system for asphalt areas. It is durable enough for moderate vehicle traffic and available if a few different formulas (ColorPave & ColorPave HD 500)

ColorPave has been around for over 20 years, and has been used in a large variety of applications. From military to public & private installations, ColorPave provides an attractive, safe, and durable colored finish on asphalt pavement.

Parking Lot Color Coating

Color coating parking lots & parking garages is another use for the ColorPave product line. The social media giant, facebook, chose ColorPave to color coat their asphalt parking garage at the new corporate headquarters in Menlo Park, California. This provided a inviting atmosphere for employees while sealing and extending the life of their pavement.

Stamped Asphalt | Color Coatings

Color coating stamped asphalt is generally performed with our ColorPave HD product. It is a cross-linking acrylic, available in multiple colors, and fortified with silica sand for non-slip safety and durability. This system dries very fast and has a very high amount of solids for long-wear and moderate vehicle traffic.

Tennis Court Surfaces

What Causes Rust Spots On A Tennis Court Surface?

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In various regions, rust spots are a common sight on tennis court surfaces. They are actually visible on driveways, parking lots, and other asphalt surfaces, but they are more pronounced on a colored tennis court surface.

The rust spots are the result of metallic minerals, called pyrites, that contaminate the stone used to create asphalt. Asphalt pavement and acrylic tennis surfaces allow vapor to transmit, or breathe through them. When the mineral pyrites become wet, they rust and bring the stains upward into the acrylic surfaces. These rust stains are unsightly and mostly an aesthetic issue that don’t affect the ball bounce or play of the game. However, sometimes the aggregate reacts, swells, and pops out. This leaves a rust stain and sometime a small mound with a tiny hole in the surface.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a good or compatible primer or stain blocker that can prevent this from happening. Non-breathable primers, like polyurethane, can cause much bigger problems like splits or bumps in the asphalt (due to hydrostatic pressure that pushes up from under the asphalt). The best defense is a good offense, which means:

Use only non-recycled asphalt when paving tennis and basketball courts
Do research: Stay away from limestone or aggregate sources with known contamination issues
Talk to an experienced architect and/or tennis court contractor ahead of time in order to avoid the wrong asphalt type and source.

What causes rust spots on a tennis court?

If it is too late and you already have rust spots on your tennis court, here are a few tips:

Your tennis court contractor can use a hand drill and drill out the reactive spots. Acrylic Crack Patch can be used to repair the surface holes and the court can be touched up or completely resurfaced. Sometimes there are hundreds of rust spots and drilling is not always a viable option.
This may sound silly at first, but you can pick a color scheme that closely matches and doesn’t contrast the rust color (i.e., Brown, Maroon, Red)

For more information on this, fill out the contact form on this page and we will be happy to answer your questions or put you in touch with a local tennis court contractor.

Tennis Court Resurfacing