Parking lot paving
Lots that take real weight
Most failed lots we get called to look at were built like a big driveway. Cars are not the problem. The problem is the box truck that swings the same arc every morning, the dumpster that gets dropped in the same corner, and the trailer that sits loaded on one spot for a week.
We pave for churches, shops, offices, apartment and mobile home communities, and farm and poultry operations across Caroline, Dorchester and Talbot counties. Residential and commercial work both, and we have been doing it here for three generations.
The mix and the rolling are the same craft on any job. What changes on a lot is the depth and the drainage, because the way we lay hot mix stays the same on every job.
How thick does a parking lot need to be?
Car parking areas and drive lanes get built differently, and they should. Stalls where only cars sit can run close to a heavy driveway section. Lanes, entrances, loading areas and anywhere a truck turns need a binder course under the surface course and a deeper stone base underneath both.
In practice that means six to eight inches of compacted stone, around three inches of binder and an inch and a half of surface in the heavy areas. Turning is what tears a lot up, because a truck wheel grinds sideways instead of rolling. We ask where the deliveries come in and build those lanes stronger. It is the same approach behind the rest of our paving work, at any size.
Where does the water go?
Flat ground is the hard part of paving on the Eastern Shore. A lot has no natural fall to borrow, so we have to build one. We set the high points and the low points on paper first, then hold about a quarter inch of fall per foot across the surface so nothing ponds.
Water that sits on asphalt gets into it, and once freeze and thaw start working on a puddle in February you have a pothole by April. We grade to the inlets, set basins and pipe where they are needed, and keep the run off away from doorways and loading docks. If an existing lot is sound but sitting wrong, a new layer can reset the falls. Where all that water ends up matters too, and the EPA Soak Up the Rain program explains why runoff from hard surfaces has to be managed.
Free estimate on your parking lot
Commercial paving from a third generation Eastern Shore family. Two year warranty on all work.
Call (410) 924-4174Do you stripe the lot when you are done?
Yes. Layout is part of the job, not an afterthought. We stripe stalls, handicap spaces and access aisles, mark arrows and no parking areas, and lay out fire lanes and loading zones so traffic flows the way you actually use the property.
New asphalt needs to cure before it takes paint properly, so striping usually comes back as a second visit. We tell you when, and we come back. For a worn lot that is still sound underneath, putting a new top on an old surface gives you a clean sheet to stripe on.
Why choose Robert and Son Paving for commercial work?
A lot is a working surface. It has to be paved in stages so people can still get in and out, and it has to be finished when we said it would be. Being a local family business, three generations deep, is what makes that possible, because our crew and our equipment are already here.
We hold MHIC #74385 and have been BBB accredited A+ since 2018. Every job carries a two year warranty and every estimate is free. We work all across the Shore, from Federalsburg out to Easton and beyond.
Ask a paving contractor
Straight answers about asphalt paving on the Eastern Shore
Can you pave our lot without closing the business?
Yes. We phase most commercial jobs so half the lot stays open while we work the other half. Tell us your busy hours and delivery times and we plan around them. Some sites are easier to do over a weekend, and we can work that way too.
How long before cars can park on the new lot?
Light traffic is usually fine after 24 to 48 hours, once the asphalt has cooled through. Trucks and dumpsters should stay off longer. We give you a clear schedule on the day we finish so nobody guesses.
Why does our lot pothole in the same places every year?
Almost always water and weight in the same spot. A low area holds rain, the water gets into the asphalt, and freeze and thaw break it apart. Repairing the hole without fixing the fall or the base underneath only buys you a season.
Can you add on to an existing lot?
Yes, and we tie the new section into the old one so the joint drains instead of trapping water. The new area gets its own base built to carry whatever traffic it will see, and we match the surface as closely as the existing asphalt allows.
Do you do mobile home parks and farm properties?
We do. Park roads, apartment drives, poultry house approaches and equipment yards are regular work for us. Those surfaces take heavy loads and wide turns, so we build the section deeper and pay attention to the shoulders.
Do you handle commercial jobs outside Federalsburg?
Yes. We cover Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot, Queen Anne's, Wicomico and Anne Arundel counties plus Sussex County, Delaware. Cambridge, Easton, Salisbury and Denton are all inside our normal range.