Bitumen Surfacing
Bitumen, Two Coat, Chip Seal.
Bitumen is known by several different names, including Two Coat Spray Seal and Chip Seal.
It comes in two types of binders.
Cutback Bitumen
This is a heated process that reduces the viscosity to aid in the spraying process and rapid setting when cooling. It is primarily used on high-traffic road works allowing vehicles to drive over within hours of laying.
Cutback Bitumen is also the best choice to use on medium to steep grades where it sets quickly and holds in place. The odour is quite strong due to its high Kerosene content and can persist for an extended period after completion.
Due to the above reasons and costs, we do not offer cutback bitumen.
CRS Emulsion
This does not require heating as a small amount of water is added and special additives are used to bond this to an oil base product.
Once this has been applied the water starts to disperse within only minutes of spraying and becomes oil-based once again. Water in this product greatly aids in the bonding process and does not matter if the base is damp or dusty.
Although this is a rapid set product, it takes longer to cure than hot spray but can still be driven on soon after applying.
CRS Emulsion is less expensive than Cutback Bitumen and has much less odour, making it a better option for around homes.
Affordable & Maintenance Free
Both Cutback Bitumen and CRS Emulsion are best done in two applications.
The first step is to spray the bitumen on the base and then cover with 14mm or 10mm stone. This stone is then covered with a second coat of Bitumen twice the rate of the first coat.
This second coat is then covered by a 7mm stone to finish. The finish stone needs to be “precoat”, which is Blue Metal stone with a Bitumen coating.
Each layer is compacted separately.
Some loose stone will be present after completion but will be minimal. The finished surface has a similar texture to exposed aggregate concrete.
Bitumen seals are very affordable, maintenance-free and can be easily recoated in the future if needed.
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