How Long Does Asphalt Take To Dry

Video How Long Does It Take Asphalt If you are installing a new parking lot, you may be wondering how long it takes asphalt to cure. It is important to understand that there is a difference between asphalt curing time and asphalt drying time. While asphalt takes about a year to fully cure, you can usually walk/drive in your new parking lot within 2-3 days.

How long does Asphalt take to cure?

Contents

As mentioned above, it can take up to a year for the asphalt to cure, but in about 30 days your asphalt will have cured to a sealable level.
In a word, curing bitumen means that it has completely hardened.
As the asphalt hardens, it slowly turns from black to gray. This is because the asphalt slowly loses its oil due to the sun (known as oxidation).
While this oxidation sounds like a bad thing, it’s actually good. Excess oil in the asphalt can lead to “power steering tearing,” which is the partial peeling of your new asphalt surface affecting wheel rotation.

How long does asphalt take to dry?

Drying time, different from curing time, is usually 48-72 hours after application.
This means that after this dry period, foot traffic and vehicles are still safe without damage.
However, since it is not 100% cured, extreme caution should be exercised for hazardous spills and/or extremely heavy traffic loads.

Applying asphalt coating to a new parking lot –

Asphalt sealant cannot be applied to your newly installed asphalt parking lot immediately.
If applied too soon after installation, you can pause the oxidation process. It will lead to excessive oil retention in your asphalt.
Typically, for a commercial lot, you should wait at least 30 days before sealing your new parking lot.
If you wait too long to seal your batch, or you decide to avoid sealing it all together, this can result in the asphalt losing too much oil, leading to cracking and premature failure.
CLICK HERE to learn more about glue drying time.

Does it affect the drying time of the asphalt –

Humidity: Humidity refers to the amount of moisture in the air. Naturally, the more moisture there is in the air, the less the air will absorb, resulting in a slower drying time of the asphalt. If humidity is above 90%, sealant or paint should not be applied due to air saturation.

Temperature: Temperature refers to both ambient temperature and surface temperature. Ambient is the temperature of the air, while the surface is the temperature of the application surface itself. The higher the temperature, the faster the evaporation, and therefore the drying time. However, if the temperature is too high, this can lead to excessive evaporation which can cause application problems.

Sunlight: As you can imagine, sunlight plays a big role in the quickness of dry times. Sunlight both creates and renews heat. So a day with less sunlight means less heat change, resulting in slower drying times.

Wind: If there is no airflow, there can be a high percentage of moisture right on the surface. However, if there is a slight wind involved, even slow at 3-5 MPH, these water molecules will be blown away. This results in less saturated air right at the surface, enhanced evaporation and faster drying times.

Difference

When correctly understanding the answer to the question of how long does asphalt cure, you first need to understand the difference between asphalt curing time and bitumen drying time. Curing time refers to the molecules coming together and oxidizing, while the curing time refers to the time when your new asphalt can withstand vehicular traffic without being damaged. damage. Ensuring that you take the right steps to protect new asphalt after application plays a huge role in determining its life and rate of wear. If you have a need for new asphalt, or an asphalt repair, contact EastCoat Pavement Service today for a free asphalt consultation!