From small domestic footpaths and driveways to heavily used roads and highways, all road surfaces wear over time. Potholes and loose stones can be serious safety hazards, so preventative road maintenance is vital to avoid public risk.
One of the most popular solutions to this problem is road surface dressing. It’s an affordable and effective way to preserve and seal road surfaces without the need for expensive and disruptive rebuilding works. Road surface dressing is typically three or four times cheaper than other preventative methods and can extend the road’s lifespan by over 10 years.
There are many types of road surface dressing, including single dressing, double dressing, pad coat dressing, racked dressing and sandwich dressing. While each of these is suited to a different application, they’re all applied in a similar way.
First, a polymer-modified bitumen binder is sprayed onto a clean, dry road surface. This can be done by hand for smaller projects, or with a spray tanker for larger maintenance works. Then, small and consistently sized stone chippings (called aggregate) are spread on top. Finally, the surface is rolled to embed with chippings into the bitumen binder.
Successful road surface dressing relies on warm, dry weather. As such, these works are usually carried out between May and August. Since this is a popular time for road maintenance, it’s always best to schedule road surface dressing early.
The main benefit of road surface dressing is that it provides permanent waterproofing. This protects against frost and water damage, which cause cracks and deformations that eventually turn into dangerous potholes that are very expensive to repair. It also improves the road’s resistance to skidding, helping to keep drivers safe.
While road surface dressing isn’t suitable for damage repair, it’s a cost-effective preventative maintenance measure that lets you defend against damage before it occurs. This allows you to save significant amounts of money that can be allocated to other projects, and to avoid inconveniencing road users with extensive roadworks.
Road surface dressing is a preventative maintenance method applied to roads that are currently in good condition. But road resurfacing involves removing portions of a damaged road and laying a new asphalt surface to replace it. This process is often costly and time-consuming, so it’s a good idea to arrange road surface dressing well in advance.
As a fully accredited surface dressing contractor with over 50 years of experience, Hazell & Jefferies is the number one choice for your domestic or commercial road surface dressing project. Our experienced crews operate throughout Oxford, Reading, Didcot and the surrounding areas, as well as nationwide on request.
To keep your roads in exceptional condition and prevent the risk of deterioration, call us today on 0118 984 2684 for a free quote.
