Bitumen or Asphalt
The Simple Process
A Simple Process For a Quality Finish.
Each Bitumen or Asphalt surface is unique to its environment. The substrate could be solid rock that won’t be impacted by traffic, or it could be land that has been cut and filled by developers during the construction of a new estate and will need to be supported with extra road base and compaction.
Let me take the confusion out of the entire process. From quoting to construction.
Bitumen or Asphalt The Simple Process step by step.
Initial Contact & Site Meet
1. Contact me either by phone, email or Click here to complete our online quote request.
2. I will then call to arrange a time for us to meet on-site.
3. During the site meet, you will be able to show me what you would like to achieve as we walk over the site.
4. Once I have a good understanding of what your vision is, I will then be able to offer you advice for the best solution/s to achieve your vision and also explain any possible complications if any were to arise.
Free Quotes
5. Shortly after the site meet, I will send you an email with a competitive quote (or quotes if I have different options for you). Each quote will be broken down with simple, easy to understand details.
6. Once you receive my quotes, please read through them and contact me with ANY questions or concerns you may have. I will be more than happy to go through the details with you until you fully understand the specifics of the project.
7. When you are happy with our quote and understand the process completely, simply contact me to book a time to start construction.
Site Preparation
8. Assessing the ground.
I will first assess the ground and take into consideration how the finished surfaces are going to be used (Residential Driveway/Commercial Carpark/etc) as different applications need to cater for different loads/traffic.
Every location also offers different types of soils, clay and rock that will affect the strength of the completed surface.
Construction over substrates without the correct preparation can lead to ongoing problems requiring repairs or even complete re-construction to correct the underlying issues.
I take all the necessary steps to learn the land first and then prepare the correct base to provide you with a finished surface that will last.
9. Initial Earthworks and Drainage
After inspection of the site, I will clear the construction area and level out the surface with a bobcat.
I am always considering the fall of the land and the dispersion of water during rain periods. It may be necessary to install drains or slope the surface toward existing drains. This is not normally a problem on larger rural type driveways as the water is dispersed off either side of the finished surface.
I also specialise in small bridge construction and concrete pipe supply and install for your crossover. In addition, I can also install concrete edging to your Asphalt or Bitumen surface giving the area a more completed look and defined borders. Concrete edging can be coloured to blend with features of surrounding buildings or landscape for a more personal touch.
A Quality Substrate
10. Adding Required Roadbase
Once all preliminary earthworks have been completed, I will add the substrate of your new surface with approximately 100mm of quality roadbase.
Most quarries supply 3 different grades of Roadbase and they are usually the same grading from all quarries. They do, however, differ in the quality of the mix. Roadbase requires a certain amount of dust powder to enable the materials to bind together when wet down and compacted. The stone from some quarries is so hard that the crushing process produces very little dust resulting in a poorer quality Roadbase. Cement powder can be added to these mixes to overcome this problem.
For this reason, I will often travel further to obtain a better quality roadbase. The substrate is the single most important step to achieving a lasting, quality Bitumen or Asphalt surface to your project.
Profiling Materials
11. Using Profiling as a Roadbase
Some companies may offer you Profiling materials (old road surfaces that have been ground up during road resurfacing) as a substitute for a quality roadbase.
This ground-up material can vary greatly in size making it impossible to compact properly. This in turn will result in a bumpy uneven layer that is unable to bind together to form a solid substrate.
This material has very little load bearing strength and remains flexible, if placed on soft soils or clay it will often fail.
I do not use this product and do not recommend the use of it as any type of base for new asphalt or Bitumen surfaces. I will not put any Bitumen or Asphalt surface down if you elect to use profiling as a substrate as I can not guarantee a quality outcome.
The Final Stages
12. Applying the Bitumen or Asphalt
The final stage of your new surface is to apply the Bitumen or Asphalt.
Both of these surface finishes can be applied in a number of ways and will vary depending on the job itself.
Bitumen
Bitumen is applied using a handheld spray wand to apply the emulsion. Spray shields are used against any structures or joining concrete to protect from overspray. The stone aggregate is applied over the top of this emulsion using a small custom-built spreader.
On larger areas, we have a bitumen spray truck with a spray bar to lay the initial emulsion coat. We then use a tip truck with a cockerel box spreader to apply the stone aggregate.
The entire area is rolled and compacted after each coat.
Asphalt
An emulsion tack coat or prime seal is applied before any asphalt is laid. Small areas (Up to 10 tonne of material) is usually laid by hand. Areas larger than this will be constructed using a machine called a Paver. Asphalt must be rolled and compacted shortly after applying.
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