EXPERT ADVICE
Continued from page 24
colder climates with freeze-thaw issues.
Generally, the paved asphalt surface is
heated to soften it before a metal grid with
the brick or stone paver pattern is applied
with force to create the look. An infrared
panel can heat existing pavement to 30
times the temperature of new asphalt to
soften it and make it easier for imprinting or
stamping.
“Be patient when imprinting or stamp-
ing, since fixing a mistake can be very ex-
pensive,” Strassman said. “If the grid pattern
gets off kilter, the rework can eat up the
profit margin on a job. You need to make
sure the grid pattern matches up perfectly --
we recommend overlapping the grid during
the application process to ensure the consis-
tency and accuracy you want.”
Achieving the look of a historic brick-
paved or cobblestone road can be achieved
faster and easier than laying individual pav-
ing bricks or placing the cobblestone. It
helps to meet commercial and municipal
needs for decorative pavement that is dura-
ble, economical and maintainable. Imprint-
ed or stamped pavement is used around the
world in all types of climates.
It is unaffected by road salt and does not
tend to absorb oil. Virtually invisible repairs
can be made to cracks, tree root problems,
settling after new building construction or
mechanical damage. No annual mainte-
nance is required; just the proper installation
of a base of high quality asphalt pavement.
Specifically, the process of imprinting or
stamping asphalt begins with the pattern.
Steel or woven wire templates are pre-
formed into the desired design. The tem-
plates are laid out on the hot or reheated
asphalt surface, which is at 170°F.
Once in place, a vibrating plate compac-
tor is then placed across the pattern. After
compaction, the templates are removed and
an even 3/8” imprint is left in the asphalt
surface, creating a uniform, seamless pat-
tern.
After the stamping process, an acrylic
based paint coating is applied via roller or
spray adding color.
Painted / Coated Surface
There are many reasons for coloring as-
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phalt pavement. These include reduction
of surface temperatures (cool pavement) to
reduce urban island heat, the aesthetic value
that color brings to pavement, and provid-
ing vehicle and pedestrian flow through col-
or-coded pavement areas such as bus lanes,
bike lanes, walking paths, taxi/Uber/Lyft
pick-up stands, and handicap parking to
name a few.
Color can be achieved through an acryl-
ic colorized asphalt pavement sealer which
has been used for color coating parking lots,
driveways, bus lanes, bike lanes and more.
“Our color system has been very popular
for creating safe, non-slip areas in dry and
wet conditions,” stated Jeff Gearheart, di-
rector of SportMaster Sport Surfaces, Thor-
Works Industries, Sandusky, Ohio. “Many
times, the decorative pavement sites are the
focus areas at special events or businesses.”
Gearheart continued: “Lighter colors are
in demand, and not only do they draw at-
tention to the area, but they lower the pave-
ment temperatures for increased comfort.
For our bicycle lane product, the bright
green coating was engineered to meet specif-
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