If you are planning out your commercial building construction project, the materials to be used for the parking lot will need to be determined at some point. If you’re like most people, you’re probably assuming you will just do asphalt. However, there are plenty of great reasons to consider choosing concrete as the material for your parking lot.
Reasons to Choose Concrete for Your Parking Lot
It’s just a parking lot, right? So wouldn’t it make sense to just settle for the less expensive option? Not necessarily.
Yes, asphalt does tend to be initially cheaper than concrete, but just during the initial application. Asphalt parking lots will need to be sprayed with liquid asphalt every few years due to wear, and they will need to be completely resurfaced every decade, or perhaps even sooner if the parking lot is particularly busy. These maintenance costs add up over time, not to mention the inconvenience this maintenance will cause customers.
Concrete Is Stronger, Requires Less Maintenance
On the other hand, concrete has almost no maintenance cost. You might need to seal some joints on occasion while keeping the surface clean, but otherwise there is little to no added expense after the initial placement.
Concrete is also a higher strength material overall, with the ability to withstand the weight of heavy-duty vehicles without a problem. Most typical asphalt mixes don’t perform very well under the weight of heavy machinery. If you step up to high-performance asphalt, which can withstand heavier loads, you’ll likely end up paying about the same as if you had chosen concrete, or even more.
Cost of Asphalt Increasing
The cost of typical asphalt is also on the rise due to diminishing supplies. Asphalt relies on supplies of liquid asphalt, which is derived from the remnants of the oil refinement process used to make gasoline. As the processes have become more advanced to reduce residue, the supply of asphalt has decreased, resulting in higher prices. Adding this additional expense to the high cost of maintenance compared to concrete makes asphalt a worse investment now than ever before.
A Lighter Surface
Another advantage of concrete parking lots is the color of the concrete surface. The extremely dark color of asphalt does little to reflect light. Concrete is dramatically brighter at night when reflecting the light from the lights in your parking lot. In fact, you can get away with about 30% fewer light fixtures in your parking lot by using concrete compared to asphalt, while still achieving the same visibility. This results in lower costs for installing light fixtures, along with reduced energy bills.
Using concrete also allows you to get creative if you want. You have the ability to apply different color stains to your concrete to add some flair and make your business stand out before they even enter your building.
For concrete in Columbia, South Carolina that will perform to your specifications, choose Knight’s Redi-Mix division.