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Regardless of the size of your asphalt paving project, you’ll want to sort out the paving budget before starting. This can be challenging, as you need to consider multiple factors; the project’s cost can vary greatly depending on your location and the contractor you hire. But we’re here to help! This blog post by the professionals at Straight Edge Contractors in El Paso, TX, breaks down the various costs associated with asphalt paving and gives you some tips on budgeting for this significant investment. 1) Consider Your Pavement’s Age and Condition The pavement’s condition, age, and history play a significant role in your decision to repave or repair it. Pavement in poor condition will need to be resurfaced, while pavement in good condition may only require patching and sealcoating. The project’s cost also varies depending on the size of the area being paved. If your asphalt paving project is due to damages caused by heavy traffic or weather conditions, you must also factor repair costs into your budget. 2) Understand the Impact of Your Pavement You need to consider how to plan on using your pavement. If you have a lot of vehicular traffic, your pavement will need to be thicker and more robust. The thickness of the asphalt also impacts the price, so keep this in mind when budgeting. If your paving project is for a parking lot or driveway, you’ll also need to decide on the type of surface treatment you want. A standard blacktop finish is the most popular option, but other finishes can give your pavement a unique look. The material used for the pavement’s base, subbase, and surface also has an impact on your budget. Depending on these conditions, you may need to replace part of your asphalt pavement with concrete or another type of surfacing material. 3) Research Your Options and Start Saving It’s essential to determine what you want before getting started. Do some online research and look for paving contractors in your area. Once you’ve got a few estimates, compare pricing and materials to find the best option for your budget. Saving helps you plan better for your paving project. Putting away a few bucks each month can make a big difference down the road, so start now! Some contractors offer a free consultation to help you assess your pavement’s condition and estimate the project’s cost. So to get started on the project, reach out for professional advice. Asphalt contractors at Straight Edge Contractors can make paving considerably easy for you. We offer complete asphalt paving solutions in El Paso, TX, delivering long-lasting results that help protect your investment. With years of experience under our belt, our contractors can help you plan and execute your asphalt ambition. Get a free estimate from our team now! Schedule Your Free Estimate!

It never gets too cold in El Paso, TX, but the chill is to be expected despite La Niña’s warm winter forecast. Maybe it’s time you finally decided to get your driveway fixed but are at a loss about what to expect in a bid proposal from a contractor. Let’s look at what a basic paving bid proposal from a professional contractor like Straight Edge Contractors LLC includes. 1. Cost Breakdown Cost is the most critical element in a paving proposal. Think of it as a detailed quotation, and it should include the following: Material Costs: These are the costs of paving materials. They can be pavers, asphalt, RAP, or concrete, depending on the contractor’s capability of supplying the materials. It also includes the cost of additives, tacks & primers, and additional paving layers. Labor & Overhead Costs: You know you have a reasonable bid if a contractor sends a proposal inclusive of overhead costs. It shows the contractor is thorough with a final offer and considers their labor valuable. Repair Methods: If the project calls for pavement repair, you will receive bids detailing the costs for patching, milling, resurfacing, full or partial depth repair, and seal coating or filling cracks. Equipment Costs: The contractor will include an estimate of fuel, maintenance, & equipment used for milling, grading, overlaying, patching, or compaction. 2. Project Portfolio A professional contractor with a successful track record will surely provide a portfolio to entice you further to accept their proposals. It is to be expected in a good bid proposal. 3. Qualifications & References Contractors should include their team’s qualifications and business achievements. It is an appropriate way to convey their competency to a client. It also provides an edge over the competition. The references further help to make a bid proposal attractive. You being the client, can interact with previous satisfied clients who hold a particular contractor in high regard. 4. Bid Validity This little detail is of great importance; it helps avoid client-contractor misunderstandings later on. Rates can change with time, inclusive of taxes, so when you receive a bid, it should have an expiration or validity date for the offer on the plate. Non-Cost Related Essentials of a Paving Bid Proposal These aspects cover general information on the services and options offered. They should always be included in any bid you receive for a driveway or any paving project. The cost breakdown for every unit area of the pavement due to overlay. The number of patches your pavement will require, their depths, and the extent of sidewalk or gutter repairs. Types of seal coats available and the recommended surface treatment. Pavement overlay thickness and materials available with warranties. A formal process for the contractor to inform the surrounding residents of the paving details & dates, plus an apology for any inconvenience incurred. Details of pavement markings or line striping are mentioned in the client’s initial proposal call. Straight Edge Contractors LLC cuts no corners regarding professionalism, work ethics, and quality workmanship in asphalt & concrete paving. We provide free estimates on services offered in El Paso, TX. Schedule Your Free Estimate!

Potholes are horrible! They become nasty deluge collectors and are probably the reason why suspension maintenance is the star-offering of the town’s auto shops. Potholes ought to be monitored from the moment raveling signals their conception and should be filled in by an expert company like Straight Edge Contractors in Midland, TX, as soon as they’re born. And why not? They are a trip hazard; they ruin the vehicles’ undercarriages, make parking lot management haphazard, and can make property prices drop wherever they manifest! If you think you can navigate about them in your SUV, well, you should read ahead! 1. Potholes & Tires Minor potholes are acceptable to pass over in your all-terrain tread, but deeper ones, especially where the buried rebar is exposed, can outright shred your tires and dent your rims. Say bonjour to your trusty mechanic and the woes of racking up repair costs! 2. Adieu Steering Alignment! If traversing a pothole reminds you of that rodeo ride over at Old Miner’s Maze, your steering alignment is going the same way you went off the bull. Deep potholes direct destructive forces to your tires, suspension, and axle. All this culminates in a ‘pull’ developing in your steering control. This is extremely dangerous if neglected. Off to the auto shop again! 3. Achilles ‘Ankles’ It doesn’t matter whether you’re wearing steel toes or the iconic red-soled Louboutin’s; you all suffer an equal risk of ankle sprains if you happen to step into one while crossing the street, the sidewalk, or carrying your groceries to the parking lot. Of course, your car is okay, and walking is environmentally friendly, but your ankle will never be the same again! 4. Undercarriage Carnage Low-ground clearance, or ride height, is the rage among teenagers & their cars! But it’s another story altogether when your swag is scraped out from under you. Yes, potholes tend to go for the undercarriage; their natural prey in the asphalt wilderness and low ground clearance make for a devastating meal. 5. The Asphalt Plague When one pothole forms, it opens the remaining sub-course and pavement layers to water intrusion. It’s not that cold in Midland, but the freeze-thaw cycle is genuine. Then cracks start propagating, forming moisture-collecting channels that further distress the pavement. You end up with alligator & block cracks, courtesy of the pothole. These bloom into a population of locally-bred potholes, straight in for the harm! Straight Edge Contractors prefer to keep these eyesores out of sight with quality asphalt & concrete repairs & maintenance offered across Texas. We are mainly active in Midland, and we implore you to protect your property prices by having us fix your potholed pavement. Considering that, your vehicles & ankles can feel safer in low ride heights & high heels! Thinking about those Louboutin’s, aren’t you? Get in touch with us for no-obligation quotes on our ankle-protection services! Schedule Your Free Estimate!

Granted, line striping is an important aspect of ADA compliance in parking lots and pavement markings, and traffic guidance markers for motorists. Still, most traffic violations occur because of a lack of comprehension of what they mean. Road markings are a morse code of their own where every dash, stripe, & symbol is significant for traffic regulation directives. Today, Straight Edge will cite some types of line stripes that are meant to help navigators stay in their lanes and avoid traffic hazards. 1. Double Solid Line If your pavement supports two unbroken parallel white stripes cutting through the center of the pavement, you are to stay in your lane on either side. Double solid yellow is for lanes with opposing traffic directions. 2. Solid & Dotted Line If a central unbroken line is running parallel to dashed (broken) lines, the person on the broken line’s side can overtake and shift to the unbroken lane. Yellow stripe color is for opposite traffic flows. 3. Broken Line These are prevalent in multi-lane highways and indicate you can overtake and shift lanes as desired. If yellow, then its for opposite traffic direction. 4. Flushed Lines These are white lines painted diagonally onto the pavement’s center and indicate one can halt to change their lane. These lines do not allow for overtaking in lanes. 5. Give Way & Crossing Lines A give way line indicates a halt at an intersection. These are broken line stripes are painted perpendicular to the lane or carriageway and are essential in areas with heavy traffic to prevent accidents. 6. Turning Bay Lines These are lanes marked by diagonal lines, arrows, and a short unbroken line at busy intersections where you can halt and wait to turn in either direction after the primary priority lane traffic has taken the compulsory turn. 7. Broken Yellow Stripes These lines are often accompanied by road signage to indicate a lane that is not designated for vehicle parking within the hours mentioned on the signage. Bus and cyclist lanes are prime examples of broken yellow stripes. An unbroken yellow line in commercial areas means you can’t stop your vehicle there unless it’s an emergency. 8. Unbroken Double Parallel & Triangles Called the ‘dragon’s teeth’, this type of striping is common in school zones and heightens the driver’s awareness to cruise below 40km/h. 9. Unbroken Zig Zag Line An unbroken zig-zag line indicates you are turning into a lane with a crosswalk up ahead, so reduce speed. 10. Rumble Strips A straight line with texturized notches to one side like a scale is a standard feature on roads that assist with long-distance traveling. The raised notches create an audible warning for a drowsy or impaired driver to stay awake and safe while driving. Midland, TX happens to be a very visually aesthetic city and this is partially because of great pavement striping appeal. Sure, we make our asphalt turn out pretty indestructible, but we also bring out the best in our quality line striping services. Straight Edge Contractors are your local paving & line striping experts in Midland, so don’t hesitate to schedule a striping job with us in your neighborhood. You can contact us for a reasonably priced free estimate on our services! Schedule Your Free Estimate!

Asphalt crack sealing and asphalt repair are essential maintenance tasks that need to be carried out periodically. Why? Well, the cracks in your parking lot are a safety hazard for both pedestrians and drivers alike. If you don’t seal them up or fix them, they will get bigger over time. This is not only unsightly but also dangerous! In this blog post, we will go over five reasons why crack sealing is a must in a business with a parking lot. Let’s get started! 1. Cracks in Parking Lots Can Lead to Pothole Formation Cracks often form when heavy vehicles are driving back and forth, which can cause potholes if left unchecked and untreated. These cracks will continue to get larger until they become dangerous road hazards or sinkholes. These hazards pose a risk to drivers and pedestrians, who may fall prey to the cracks. The consequences of ignoring cracks in your parking lot can be severe, which is why it’s crucial to get crack sealing done regularly by an asphalt repair company. 2. Seal Cracks to Improve the Appearance of Your Parking Lot Cracks in the asphalt parking lot will detract from its appearance. The damage may look unsightly and unattractive, especially if it begins to crack further due to negligence. By having your cracks sealed professionally by a reputable asphalt repair company, you can improve the overall appeal of your parking lot, which of course, is a critical factor for attracting customers and your business’ success. 3. Seal Cracks to Increase Safety Crack sealing can also improve the safety of your parking lot. If crack sealant is not applied, water will seep through them and create slippery conditions for anyone driving on it. By having crack sealing done regularly, this danger can be eliminated as well as any unnecessary accidents. 4. Seal Cracks to Maintain Property Value Without crack sealing, your asphalt will age quickly. When this happens, it can create problems with the structural integrity of your parking lot, which could lead to expensive repairs, or worse, complete reconstruction. If you want to keep your property value high and avoid incurring significant expenses in terms of maintenance costs down the road, crack sealing is a must-have service for your business. 5. It’s a Quick Fix By using a crack sealer, you will be able to fix the cracks quickly with minimal disruption of your business. Most minor cracks can easily be fixed in a short amount of time, and the crack sealer will go a long way in protecting your asphalt by keeping moisture and other elements out. Straight Edge Contractors LLC offers high-quality crack sealing and asphalt repair services. Our team is well-trained and experienced. We will handle your crack repairs with the highest level of expertise, quality, and customer service to ensure that you get the best results for your business anywhere in El Paso, TX. Schedule an appointment now! Schedule Your Free Estimate!

If there was ever a gag reel created to the delight of civil engineering, then seal coating myths would have surely made a list. Even though so many property-owners & lot managers are acquainted with the concept of seal coating, they still have some dissonance with the facts. Some skeptics even think seal coating should be done away with since it’s a scam! Well, let’s revise a bit. A seal coat is a bituminous product that is treated & explicitly applied to asphalt surfaces to protect them from damage due to wear & tear by passing vehicles. If the asphalt takes on too much damage, the rock aggregates will loosen and give birth to unsightly potholes. Seal coats extend the life of your asphalt. That said, we move onto the myths to show you just how much truth is there to them! Myth 1: Sealcoating Fills Cracks in Asphalt Lots & Driveways To some extent, this is true, but it depends mainly on the minimality of the cracks in the pavement. In essence, a seal coat fills up the pores in the asphalt to ward off water intrusion. Minor cracks can be filled with a seal coat but cracks wider than a quarter of an inch require specialized crack filler. We’ll give this myth some leeway. Myth 2: Sealcoating Can’t Help Restore Old Asphalt Surfaces If in good condition, older asphalt will be rejuvenated by the oils in the seal coat emulsion, so this myth is hardly in the right. Unless you happen to have a porous asphalt pavement, then, of course, its chances of deterioration are high compared to the standard pavement. Still, the argument stays the same that a seal coat does revive asphalt pavement. Myth 3: A Sealcoat Only Helps with Asphalt Visual Aesthetics We all love that black sheen across the pavement, and sadly many of us think that is the only purpose of a seal coat: visual appeal. Actually, a seal coat protects the asphalt from water damage, moisture intrusion, raveling, UV damage, oxidation, & pavement dehydration; and yes, it also makes the asphalt look pretty! Myth 4: Any Amateur Can Apply a Sealcoat (Oh Boy!) Reenacting this myth has led many a-hopeful youths to the ER for burns and minor tarry accidents. Seal coats are emulsions that require equipment that maintains the heating temperature, the colloidal state of the emulsion, the charge on the particles, and the pressure pump for the spray wand. This complicated machinery is unlike the bucket loads of black goo you are heating haphazardly for a DIY seal coating job. Seriously, if you want to try your hand at seal coating that much, you can just call us! At Straight Edge Contractors LLC, we have the equipment and expertise to impart some innovative seal coating tips, and deliver results you’ll be proud of. We do operate in Texas, but for you, we’ve made it over to Las Cruces, NM, to give your asphalt the treatment it needs to stay safe from the elements. If you had an asphalt pavement laid out up to a year ago, maybe it’s time to schedule a seal coat. You can get in touch with us for free & reasonable quotes on our reliable and quality services! And, oh my, look at the temperature! It’s perfectly ideal for a seal coat in New Mexico! Schedule You Free Estimate!

A sealcoating contractor is an expert who will efficiently seal your asphalt or concrete pavement. Sealants are designed to protect surfaces from water, oil, stains, and the elements. Sealers provide a long-lasting finish that is more durable than paint alone. You may want to ask many questions before hiring a contractor for your project to ensure they are professional and reliable. Here are some of the questions a professional sealcoating company will answer positively: Is it Necessary to Clean the Pavement Before Sealcoating? Yes! Before sealcoating the pavement, you must clean the surface. You will want to sweep away any loose debris like leaves or dirt before sealcoating begins. If stubborn stains are on your asphalt driveway sealer, use a pressure washer to scrub them off before applying sealant. Is it Necessary to Fill the Cracks and Fix the Surface Before Sealcoating? Yes! Sealcoating is a great way to seal the surface, however, if you want your sealcoat application to last as long as possible, you will need to make sure those cracks are filled with an asphalt crack filler before applying sealant. Is it Necessary that I Patch Holes in My Driveway Before Sealcoating? Yes! A sealcoat will help restore your asphalt, but it is still better to fix any holes in your driveway before sealcoating. Patching up those pesky potholes ahead of time means that less sealant will be used, and you won’t have to worry about reapplying the sealcoat soon after. Is it Necessary to Sealcoat in the Hotter Months? Yes! A good sealcoating contractor will recommend sealcoating in the late spring or summer months. The asphalt is warmest during these hotter times, ensuring that sealant is laid down even and thick. It also allows asphalt to create a strong bond with sealant, making it less likely to wear off after time. Is it Necessary that the Temperature is at least 50 Degrees When You Sealcoat? Yes! A sealcoating contractor will tell you that sealant adhesion is greatest when temperatures are a minimum of 50 degrees. Not only does this ensure that sealant can be applied smoothly, but it also ensures that the sealant dries quickly and evenly to create a strong bond for longevity. Is it Necessary to Ensure that it will Not Rain in the Next 24 Hours After Applying the Sealant? Yes! A sealcoating contractor will state that it is essential to ensure there is no precipitation for the next 24 hours after sealant has been applied. It keeps sealant from being washed off the asphalt before reaching its desired bond strength, resulting in premature wear and flaking. These questions will help you determine if a professional sealcoating contractor is right for your project. If the contractor does not answer positively, it may be time to look elsewhere. Are you looking for a professional and reliable sealcoating service? Look no further than Straight Edge Contractors in Midland, TX. Our experts will take the time to answer any burning questions you have and will be happy to give you a free quote too. Get started with a free estimate today! Schedule Your Free Estimate!

Sealcoating protects pavement from the elements by creating a protective barrier over the surface. Sealcoating is usually done every two to three years to keep your sealcoat in good condition. While sealcoating is a simple process, it is crucial to take the time to do it correctly for the best result. There are sealcoating mistakes that can be made, which will make your sealcoated driveway look aged and worn very quickly. However, some of these mistakes will only be evident later! This article will go over sealcoating mistakes that many property owners make without realizing until their sealer has already dried. Not Ensuring that the Sealant is Applied Evenly This will lead to the sealant wearing off unevenly where it is thicker or thinner, which can cause problems in future years. For example, if there were spots that weren’t sealed well during sealcoating, water would have a place to pool up and get underneath your driveway’s sealant. This can cause cracking, splitting, or even creating a pothole in the sealant over time where water has pooled up underneath it. Applying Only One Coat of Sealant Instead of Two Another sealcoating mistake is not applying a second coat of sealant after the first one has dried. If this step is skipped, water and other elements will get underneath your sealcoat over time which causes damage and wear down. For best results, make sure you apply two coats of sealer instead of just one. Not Purchasing the Right Sealant When sealcoating your driveway, you must use a suitable sealant. Using a low-quality sealer will not last as long and is more likely to make your surface vulnerable to damage. Make sure when sealcoating your driveway you purchase high quality sealer with all-weather capabilities. Make sure to buy a sealer that matches the type of surface you are dealing with because certain sealers are not meant for concrete surfaces and will damage them over time. Not Waiting for the Right Weather Make sure to sealcoat your driveway or parking lot during the warmer months when the asphalt is soft and pliable. If a sealcoat is applied to cold asphalt or concrete, the sealer will not cure correctly and leave stains on your surface that are hard to remove later on. The ideal temperature for sealcoating is 50+ degrees, and if the sealer is applied at temperatures under 50 degrees, the sealcoat will not adhere to your surface well. With a bit of help from Straight Edge Contractors in Las Cruces, NM, you can avoid the paving and sealcoating mistakes that keep property owners up at night. Get your free estimate today and see how our asphalt paving and sealcoating services can save you time and money by sealing your driveway the right way, the first time! Schedule Your Free Visit!

What may seem like a mere ‘crack’ to you is probably a cascading category of asphalt damage to an expert. It could be the surface, or a layer is missing, or the base is bad. Iterations keep running through a contractor’s head to arrive at the right way to deal with the damage so that it does not resurface again. So, an amateur going out on surface knowledge is bound to embarrass themselves before the experience and eye of a professional paving contractor, just like ours at Straight Edge! We’ve come across many an odd pavement failure that we feel obligated to share with you since our absolute joy is helping clients develop an eye for things, too! 1. Block Cracks: These cracks make the pavement look like it was cracked into rectangular sections. The cause is due to shrinkage of the asphalt because the poor-quality binder layer could not adapt to fluctuating temperature cycles. Dry and old asphalt will exhibit this cracking too. Small cracks require a sealant to guard against water intrusion, but extensive damages may require asphalt removal and overlay in the affected sections. 2. Flushing: This is a hazardous issue, especially in winters or wet roads. With excess use of asphalt binder, the aggregate gets saturated like a sponge, especially if the aggregate was too finely blended. This is a design error in aggregate preparation. So, when heavy traffic resumes in ideal hot paving weather, the load compacts the asphalt and flushes out the binder to the surface like a shiny, oily film. The process is irreversible in winters and causes a lack of traction and becomes accident-prone. Minor flushing can be blotted out by applying sand, but in worse cases, the affected section is milled to remove excess asphalt or graded using heater planers. 3. Joint reflection: This happens when a rigid slabbed pavement base is paved with a flexible layer. The most obvious case is paving asphalt over a concrete base. Rigid pavement has a more pronounced reaction to temperature cycles compared to flexible. Since concrete is paved in slabs, the point where the slabs join is where the overlaying asphalt cracks due to the underlying deformation processes. Small cracks are easily sealed, but cracks too deep to be filled require removal, replacement of slab, and an asphalt overlay. 4. Slippage Cracks: These ‘cracks’ look more like loose elephant skin where the asphalt has slipped over the sub-base. This fault can occur when paving contractors don’t apply a tack coat to bond the asphalt layers. Or they skip out on a prime coat to bind the asphalt layers to the sub-base. Or oil and dirt are preventing the adherence of the asphalt to the subbase; the loose elephant skin is the result. Any section displaying this ‘loose skin’ requires a partial or a full-depth repair. 5. Wash-board Distress: This type of odd failure makes the pavement look like it has ripples across its surface. It is common at road sections that experience extreme stress, like pavement intersections. It happens if the asphalt aggregate was too finely blended, which makes the asphalt soft, and forms a weak base. The only way to fix this is a full-depth asphalt repair. Being a paving contractor is not just bragging about asphalt and compactors in a baritone at your local brewery after a job well done and a client left in awe. Contractors study to bend asphalt to their wills, and as is with all arts, it takes time and practice to have an eye for things. At Straight Edge Contractors, we market our level of experience and base our services on it so you may get the best deal out of our free estimates. We are active in the sun and rain of Las Cruces, New Mexico, so if you require our honed services, we are nearby and geared up to flatten the faults in your asphalt! Schedule Your Free Estimate!

Let’s begin with an introductory science lesson; water expands when the temperature goes down to 39F and becomes ice. This causes the water particles to take up more space between them and behave differently from the hydrating properties of liquid water. Concrete is bound by water-based cement and requires liquid water to activate its chemical cementing properties until it reaches a particular compressive strength, after which nothing can compromise its setting. However, this can take a while in colder temperatures, plus lead to crumbly concrete if the temperatures caused it to freeze. In El Paso and across Texas, the winter temperatures can reach 32F and below with cold winds that don’t make ideal conditions for both fresh asphalt and concrete. But some emergencies may call for a pouring or overlay job in the cold season. There are specific tweaks that can work to your advantage in such conditions, and we will list out a couple to help you understand why. It helps to know these tricks when you are a concrete pouring contractor or even a DIY property owner who wants a few quick additions to spruce up the property like a jack of all trades! Use hot water in preparing your concrete mix. 65F is a suitable temperature for mixing with consideration to the thickness of the concrete mix. Ensure a wet concrete mix of a measured consistency and fluidity for winters, and have it pumped out through an air-entraining system. Air entrainment adds bubbles to the concrete mix that provides stress relief and resistance to frozen or thaw conditions upon solidification. Calcium chloride, a type of salt that is very friendly with water, is used as an accelerator in concrete during cold weather. The calcium chloride speeds up the hydration reaction when mixed in as 2% of the whole concrete batch. However, care needs to be taken as this method is unsuitable for use in rebar concrete, as the calcium chloride in the concrete will corrode the steel over time. Just don’t think this is an anti-freeze solution; it’s just a way to speed up the concrete setting time in the cold and can go wrong! All fresh concrete ‘bleeds’. This is the process where the poured concrete expels excess water to its surface, and it needs to evaporate. In winters, this is difficult if the bleed water freezes. It is a hassle, but using sponges and wet vacuums can ensure suitable surface drying for further leveling. Avoid fly ash or water reducers in cold weather concrete. It will only make the conditions worse for settling the concrete. Once the concrete is poured and leveled, it’s time to get an entire baby care kit set up for the next 48 hours to ensure the concrete will cure properly. You will need insulation blankets that keep the temperatures up to 50F. You can also use containment units placed over the poured sections with a ventilated heater. If you’ve kept these points in mind, you can easily avoid most mistakes people make with cold-weather concrete pouring. At Straight Edge Contractors, we know best the amount of blankie-love your new concrete needs. While the weather in El Paso is ideal for conventional concrete paving, if ever needed, you can rely on our residential and commercial services come winters too! If you desire a consultation, check our free estimates, and you sure won’t be disappointed! Schedule Your Free Estimate!

Making your way downtown, driving fast, faces pass, and suddenly you’re parking-lot-bound. The lots are busy, the asphalt cracked, the parking lot line striping is faint, there are potential bad drivers pulling up and parking haphazardly. You try to reverse and miss a worn-out warning at the turn, and voila! – a fender-bender to further ruin a grocery run on a swelteringly hot day. To avoid parking mishaps, you need expert parking lot maintenance companies to stripe and re-stripe parking lots. You’ve seen it in the movies: a steady background of cars parking all nice and neat on a well-maintained parking lot. Lines keep people in line! Here are some solid reasons when and why you need to line stripe and re-stripe every couple of years if you want your parking lot to look neat and conflict-free! 1. Like Sardines in a Can It’s easy to point at a badly parked cars and make a quip about the drivers being visually impaired, whereas it could be poorly panned lot lines that aren’t apparent enough as a marker to park correctly. Parking lot striping should be done in a manner that allows for the maximum utilization of space without cramming. There are striping formats that can be used to this end (straight, fishbone, angled, handicapped section). 2. Lines? What lines? Line striping paints are usually water-based acrylics, formulated for brightness, durability, and ease of application by rollers and sprays. They are meant to be vibrant and visible without using thermoplastic reflective paints suited for asphalt and concrete roadways. If these lines are not visible, they present a parking hazard. 3. Parking Violators Dull or eroded parking lot lines are the bane of a good Midlander. It won’t take long for a parking violator to spot the dull lines and squeeze in. Vehicles parked over the line give more parking space but can hinder the minimum distance to open your vehicle’s door and maximize denting your truck or your neighbor’s SUV. 4. ‘I’m sorry, officer, I’d no idea this was a handicapped spot!’ From the city that brought us the excellent acting skills of Tommy Lee Jones, do not pull the naive act on an officer when caught in a parking violation. Either you are aware and disregarding, or you’re – well – dense. If you see the handicapped spots too far abused as a parking lot owner, it’s time for a severe line striping makeover. 5. Fender-Bender Festival If you find out that weekly fender-bender statistics are reaching double digits on your turf; time for parking lot line striping. When parking lines are not clear enough, or wholly eroded in places, damaged asphalt and all, accidents are bound to happen. Clear signage, arrows, light fixtures, good pavement, and lines are static modes of communication to guide parking lot traffic seamlessly; hence it needs to be visible without causing distraction. If you believe that you are plagued by forces of lousy parking and faded lines in Midland, TX, we’re the folks to handle it! At Straight Edge Contractors, we offer a range of asphalt and concrete pavement solutions that include line striping. For a free estimate, drop in to share your details, and we will give you a good deal on how to exorcise those bad parkings away! Schedule Your Free Estimate!

It’s no secret that paving projects can be challenging. Many factors can lead to the failure of projects, from the complex logistics of getting materials into remote areas to the ever-changing weather patterns. Seasoned contractors like Straight Edge Contractors can list various reasons behind a wrecked pavement project. This blog post will discuss some of these challenges and how they may affect your paving project. 1) High Costs of Wrong Estimates Paving contractors must know how much material they require and the area to be paved to give you a precise and accurate estimate. If they do not know how much material is needed, they may haul more than the required quantity to the site, costing more money for materials left behind. This can also lead to an under-estimate where there isn’t enough area covered, which creates cracks, water infiltration, and even potholes after some time. 2) Absence of Quality Equipment Having the right equipment available onsite is critical to getting things done faster and less waste for paving projects. Most paving projects require contractors to use high-quality equipment to ensure the quality of the pavement. If a contractor is working in your area, make sure they have all their equipment ready to go before the start of the project! You can also ask for references from previous jobs so you can see how things look after installation and get an idea of what the results would look like if they were working on your property. Having all the necessary items on the site keeps project costs down as contractors don’t need to make multiple trips back-and-forth between supplier locations or construction sites to get supplies. 3) Injuries and Legal Hassles Paving projects are serious business, especially when it comes to excavation. There’s a lot of maneuvering equipment around the worksite which can lead to accidents if precautions aren’t taken. This is why all employees must have proper training and safety gear before starting work, so everyone stays safe! Workers’ compensation insurance helps protect employers against injuries on the job and helps avoid legal action from workers who are hurt while doing their job. 4) Mismanagement and Inexperience Another reason paving projects fail is poor management or inexperience. The right people must be assigned to tasks for this process, especially when managing a large team of workers – everyone needs to know what they are responsible for! Also, make sure your contractor has experience in what he does and can provide references if needed! You don’t want someone inexperienced working on your project because it could lead to problems down the line. An experienced contractor is well-versed with the weather conditions, the environment, and the set procedures that need following. They also bring efficiency and professionalism to the table. Straight Edge Contractors offers reliable paving solutions to property owners in El Paso, TX. We use our experience and equipment to provide a complete paving solution. Get your free estimate to get a stunning commercial or residential pavement. Schedule Your Free Estimate!