Walkway and Sidewalk Paving with Asphalt in St. Petersburg, Fl

How does St. Petersburg play a role in Asphalt walkway paving

Ultimately, St. Petersburg is much like any other city in Florida and adds a factor of extra heat and humidity. Anderson and Son’s Asphalt operates within Pinellas County and has paved both commercial and residential areas of St. Petersburg.

 

Choosing Asphalt over Concrete for the Walkway

Asphalt is a great choice for walkways because it is durable and easy to install compared to concrete. It is also one of the most common types of surface you are likely to see in a residential neighborhood because it is commonly used during construction. Concrete does however have a nicer appeal and look plus it tends to absorb and hold less heat. If you plan on using your walkway with bare feet you may want to consider using concrete instead of asphalt which tends to absorb and hold heat from the hot Florida sun.

 

Choosing an asphalt contractor to pave your walkway

When choosing a qualified asphalt contractor, it is important to consider safety, service and cost.

• Safety: Safety should be the number one priority for any company seeking an asphalt contractor. A strong focus on safety will help guarantee that the job is completed to your satisfaction and you are satisfied with the outcome. For this reason you’ll also want to make sure the contractor is licensed and insured. If something happens on your property, the asphalt contractor’s insurance will most likely cover it. Otherwise you could be held liable even if the event was not your fault.
• Service: While cost is important, service should also be considered when finding a qualified asphalt contractor. Service may be just as important as cost in order to ensure that you are getting the best value for your money. Check the companies reviews online to make sure you’ll be getting good, quality paving services from the company you choose.
• Cost: Cost can play an effect in how many bids you receive from different contractors. However, it shouldn’t be the only factor when deciding who you hire for your project.

Designing a walkway to increase home value and curb appeal

As a walkway in your yard can both increase the value of the home and add a great looking feature to an area, helping to tie together a design.
Landscaping professionals are the specialists in this field. They not only provide landscaping services but also often help design yard-scapes. As you wont be able to move the paved walkway, you may want to consider having a specialist help you design the area.

 

The cost an of an asphalt walkway.

Walkway costs can vary greatly depending on the area, time of year and quality of work. When looking for estimates you’ll find that some contractors will come out and give you a free estimate. Others will require you give them the square footage of the needed walkway. To help you determine this number, here’s an equation to calculate it.
The formula to calculate the area of a walkway is:
A = L * W
Where A = Area, L = length, W = width
The cost is usually based on the amount of asphalt needed to pave a certain area. It can be calculated by multiplying length and width.
Therefore, it is calculated by square yards or square meters.
One square yard is equal to 0.8361 square meters, so if you are calculating your asphalt costs in meters rather than yards then it would be multiplied by 2.
Therefore, if you want to calculate how much one square meter costs then divide the total cost by 2 and multiply that with the number of square meters that you need.

 

Prepping the walkway area for paving

The first step in installing asphalt as a walkway is preparing the ground. The ground needs to be cleared of any weeds or other vegetation, and if there are any other substances like rocks or tree roots, these need to be removed before installation can commence. Next you’ll need to dig out the are the asphalt is going. If it’s surrounded by grass you may want to use a sharp knife like a machete to create a sharp edge.
In addition, you will want to make sure that there is no dirt piled up on and around the edges of the asphalt because this can cause water to build up underneath it which can lead to flooding as well as potholes forming on top of it.
Once the ground has been cleared, a layer may need to be added if your soil isn’t level enough for proper installation – this layer should be made up of gravel that’s about four inches deep.
Once the soil has been leveled out and prepared, then comes the exciting part: paving!

 

The asphalt walkway paving process

We’ve already covered the prep phase so up next is the actual paving. Luckily, we’ve covered the asphalt paving process in detail within previous articles. Read our article on the asphalt paving process here.

 

Waiting for your walkway to cure before walking on it.

This section is about the different stages of asphalt’s curing process. We will explore how the curing process can be affected by certain external factors such as temperature, humidity and time.
Curing is the chemical process by which asphalt undergoes a change from soft to hard after exposure to heat and/or chemicals. The materials that are in need of curing are concrete, asphalt, cement, mortar and plaster.
The first stage of the curing process is called primary drying or initial water loss. It starts when liquid water evaporates from the surface of fresh concrete into the air (sublimation). The second stage is called secondary drying or shrinkage in which moisture leaves from within surfaces through evaporation and vapor diffusion from matrix to surface. In both cases, it takes about 7 days for curing. Depending on humidity, direct sunlight and rainfall the curing time can be faster or slower.