Guides and references
Driveway Guides
Practical guides to planning, installing, repairing, and maintaining residential driveways.
Read Driveway GuidesCommercial Paving Guides
How commercial parking lot paving, repair, and rehabilitation actually work.
Read Commercial GuidesAsphalt Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the asphalt and paving terms you will hear on a project.
Open the GlossaryRecent guides
The newest articles from our asphalt learning center.
Salt Damage on Connecticut Driveways: What to Do Each Spring
Road salt and ice melt protect your driveway from one problem (ice) while quietly causing another (chemical attack on the binder). By the time the snow has melted in March, a winter of salt has already weakened the surface. This guide explains what salt actually does to asphalt, what to look for once the driveway is bare, and how to address the damage before the next freeze-thaw cycle widens it into something bigger.
Read guideHurricane Season and Your Parking Lot: Drainage Checks Before the Storms Hit
Atlantic hurricane season runs June through November, and Connecticut catches the tail end of most major systems as 3–6 inches of rain in a 12-hour window. A parking lot designed for that has no problem. A lot whose catch basins are clogged or whose grading has settled becomes a foot-deep pool that floods storefronts and pulls the surface apart from the inside. Most of that damage is preventable in an afternoon.
Read guideSealcoating in Late Summer and Early Fall: Why Timing Matters in
Sealcoating is the cheapest maintenance you can do on an asphalt driveway, but it only earns its keep when it is applied at the right time. In Connecticut, late summer through early fall is the strongest window — the surface is warm enough to bond, dry enough to cure, and the timing puts a fresh seal between your driveway and the next round of freeze-thaw cycles.
Read guideBest Time of Year to Pave a Driveway
Asphalt paving is weather work, and Connecticut compresses the workable season into about six months. Knowing when contractors actually pave — and when their schedules tighten — is the difference between getting your driveway done on the timing you want and being told the soonest opening is six weeks out.
Read guideWhat Is Asphalt Patching, and When Does a Parking Lot Need It?
Patching is the most misunderstood category of asphalt work. The term covers everything from a five-minute pothole fix with cold patch to a full saw-cut and overlay that lasts a decade. Knowing the difference protects you from paying for the wrong fix — or paying twice when the cheap version fails six months later.
Read guideParking Lot Striping Best Practices
Line striping is the most visible part of a parking lot — and the part that ages fastest. A lot that has been freshly striped looks managed and is safer; a lot whose stripes have faded looks neglected and quietly costs business. This guide covers what a good striping job actually involves so you can spec the work accurately and know how often it needs to repeat.
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