The Luxury of a Paved Surface

When you have a business location where your customers come to you, it's important for you to invite them into a professional, well-maintained, and comfortable environment. You want to let them know that you can be counted on to provide them with professional service and great products. The impression customers have of your business location can depend on everything they see and experience the moment they pull into your property. The first thing they will see is the parking lot, so this is where you want to begin showing you care. Concrete and asphalt are two common materials often used for business parking lots, and you can learn why asphalt may be the best choice in the following comparison of the appearance and durability of each.

Appearance

Concrete – New concrete can give you a nice-looking parking lot. However, concrete can easily get dirty because dirt, spills, oil leaks, and even rust can easily appear in the parking lot, and when they do, the concrete will easily show them. While concrete can be power washed to help it look cleaner, you may find you have to have it power washed often to keep it looking good.

Asphalt – Asphalt will give you a great-looking parking lot that can always look nice and fresh for a long time. Asphalt will need to be sealed periodically in order to help it maintain that nice, shiny, smooth-looking appearance, as well as to maintain its integrity. However, this expected maintenance will reward you with a good-looking parking lot that will last you a long time.

Durability

Concrete – Concrete is a very strong material that will easily support your customers in their comings and goings. However, it does have its limitations. Concrete can crack under the stress of the ground beneath it swelling and shrinking, which happens in different weather and temperature conditions. Also, in areas where there are earthquakes, it can crack. Also, the salt used to melt ice on the concrete can eventually lead to damage.

Asphalt – Asphalt is also very strong. Plus, it also has more give to it. This give means it won't be affected nearly as much as concrete when the ground beneath it changes. That give also helps it stand up against earthquakes. The porous surface makes it less susceptible to the formation of small patches of ice.

Now that you have a better idea of the ways asphalt can benefit your business more than concrete, you should consider having your asphalt parking lot installed.

To learn more, contact a commercial asphalt paving contractor.