Concrete has a long history as a construction material for everything from the foundations of single-story homes to massive dams. Concrete is a durable material that can support heavy loads without breaking, and it can perform beautifully for many decades with very little maintenance. In addition, concrete has excellent reflective properties that help lower the temperature at ground level. Therefore, it is not surprising that concrete parking lots remain popular throughout the Houston metropolitan area.
How Long Do Concrete Parking Lots Last?
The first key to the longevity of any concrete pavement is your choice of a contractor. Concrete parking lots companies can vary in terms of experience, equipment, and skills. The concrete parking lots company you select should have the ability to determine the engineering specifications for your project, then execute the design precisely. The second major factor that can potentially affect the longevity of Houston concrete parking lots is how you use your pavement. Concrete parking lots that support a high number of fully-loaded 18-wheelers may not last as long as lots that are only support a limited number of passenger vehicles. Assuming that your concrete parking lots company engineered and installed your pavement correctly, and assuming that the loading remains within the original specifications, your parking lot could last anywhere from 20 to 50 years. In fact, some Houston concrete parking lots have lasted 60 or 70 years before they were replaced.Do Concrete Parking Lots Develop Obvious Signs That They Need Replacing or Repairing?
Some signs may not be obvious to you, but the trained eye of a professional who provides concrete parking lots services may spot them easily. Furthermore, Houston concrete parking lots professionals can usually determine very quickly whether the parking lot needs to be repaired or replaced. Here are some of the most common signs that concrete pavements show when they are in distress.- Houston concrete parking lots often develop minor cracks within two or three years of completion. These are usually the result of what concrete parking lots companies call settling, and they typically pose no hazard to your pavement’s structural integrity. In later years, minor cracks can be the result of ground movement. These are normally insignificant as well. However, large cracks are a different story, especially if they seem to grow larger every day. If such cracks develop in your pavement, you should contact the company that provides your concrete parking lots services to assess the problem and recommend a solution.
- Slab movement is an issue that every concrete parking lots company is often asked to resolve. Slabs can be lifted up, move sideways, or subside. Because misaligned slabs pose potential safety risks, especially in parking lots, they should be addressed quickly. In most cases, your concrete parking lots company will need to demolish uplifted or horizontally misaligned slabs and replace them. Depending on the situation, concrete parking lots companies may be able to lift sunken slabs, but they may also need to be removed and replaced.
- Occasionally, the edges of one or more slabs in Houston concrete parking lots begin to curve either up or down. Providers of concrete parking lots services refer to this as either warping or curling. Although there are several potential causes, warped or curled slabs virtually always have air pockets underneath them. If there are only a few distorted slabs, a concrete parking lots company will usually recommend removing and replacing just the affected slabs. However, it is sometimes more cost-effective to demolish and rebuild Houston concrete parking lots that contain a great many of these distorted slabs.
- Severely deteriorated concrete pavements typically needs to be replaced. Concrete parking lots companies normally consider a pavement with exposed rebar or mesh, serious separations, or large areas of crumbled concrete as severely deteriorated. In some instances, the deterioration is confined to a small, shallow area, so providers of concrete parking lots services can sometimes repair the problem. However, replacing severely deteriorated concrete parking lots is sometimes the only option, or it may be the most cost-effective solution.
