Driveways in Missoula often suffer from cracking and heaving due to winter weather, especially in areas like the Rattlesnake or up in the South Hills. Asphalt Milling is a process that grinds down the top layer of damaged asphalt so that you can pave right over a fresh and stable base instead of hauling the whole old surface away.
Before the Mill Hits the Ground
Preparation is very important before any Asphalt Milling project begins in Missoula, MT. Homeowners must check their drainage first because Missoula gets plenty of freeze-thaw cycles that push water deep into sub-bases. If the slope is pitched toward the garage, Asphalt Milling will not fix that drainage issue on its own. It is also necessary to mark any sprinkler heads, low-voltage lighting lines, or gas runs near the edge of the asphalt to avoid hitting a buried line with heavy machinery. Top Line Asphalt Missoula recommends handling prep work, edge cleanup, and utility marking ahead of time, but the actual grinding requires professional heavy equipment such as a cold planer.
During the Process
When the crew arrives, the milling machine chews up the top couple of inches of old asphalt, spitting the reclaimed material into a dump truck. Top Line Asphalt Missoula hauls that milled asphalt away or stockpiles it depending on what the homeowner wants to do with the material. That ground material is actually very useful for packing down rural or long gravel driveways if you want to reuse it. Homeowners should stay back, keep pets inside, and park cars out on the street well before the crew arrives for Asphalt Milling work in Missoula, because once the machine starts tearing up the surface, vehicle access is temporarily blocked.
After the Grinding Stops
Once the milling head finishes its pass, a rough and textured surface called a milled profile is left behind, which looks somewhat like corduroy. You can drive on it for a little while, but you should not leave it exposed to a heavy Montana downpour or an early fall snowstorm for too long or the surface will start to break down. Some homeowners spread fresh gravel over the milled base themselves, while others choose to have a fresh layer of hot mix asphalt laid down on top of the milled surface by Top Line Asphalt Missoula. Getting the compaction right requires professional rollers and hot material because the asphalt cools very fast. Top Line Asphalt Missoula provides Asphalt Milling services for homes in Missoula, MT.