Asphalt Maintenance Calendar: Scheduling Parking Lot Care by Season

Commercial Property Services

A seasonal maintenance schedule for commercial asphalt prevents the deterioration that leads to expensive repaving — timing treatments to the Ontario climate maximizes their effectiveness.

Spring is the most important season for asphalt assessment. After winter, the full extent of freeze-thaw damage is visible: new cracking, pothole formation, edge deterioration, and any areas where drainage failure has allowed water to penetrate. Walk the entire parking lot in late March or early April to catalogue all damage before vegetation hides pavement edges.

Industry Best Practices

Crack sealing is ideally done in spring after ground temperatures have stabilized above 10°C. Sealant flows into cracks most effectively at moderate temperatures, and the spring application period ends before the peak summer heat that can cause fresh sealant to track and smear under tire traffic.

Pothole repair should be completed before summer. Temporary cold-patch repairs done in winter allow traffic to continue, but permanent hot-mix repairs require warm pavement temperatures for proper compaction and adhesion. Plan hot-mix pothole repair for May through September.

How D&D Commercial Services Can Help

Sealcoating is best applied in summer when pavement and air temperatures are consistently above 15°C. Ontario's sealcoating season runs from approximately late May through September. Sealcoat applied in cool, damp conditions fails to cure properly and peels within one to two seasons.

Line repainting follows any major surface maintenance. Sealcoating obscures existing lines and must be allowed to fully cure (typically 24 to 48 hours) before repainting. Annual line painting inspection and touch-up maintains visual clarity for traffic management and accessible space designation compliance.