Commercial Asphalt Repair in Morris County, NJ
Pothole patching, crack filling, and surface repair for commercial parking lots — done before sealcoating, not after.
Repair comes first
Asphalt repair is the step that has to happen before any surface treatment. Sealcoat is a coating — applied over open cracks or a failing base, it conceals the damage briefly and then the damage comes back through.
Most commercial lot failures start the same way. A hairline crack lets water into the base. Water freezes, expands, and widens the crack. The base loses support, the surface flexes, and what was a crack becomes a pothole. In Morris County that cycle runs dozens of times each winter, which is why a crack that looked cosmetic in November is a hole by March.
Catching it at the crack stage costs a fraction of catching it at the pothole stage, and a small fraction of a full-depth repair.
What we repair
Crack filling Cracks are cleaned out and filled with hot rubberized material. This is the single highest-return maintenance item on a parking lot — it stops water at the point of entry.
Pothole patching The failed area is cut out, the base assessed, and new asphalt compacted in. Throwing cold patch into a hole without addressing the base is why the same pothole reappears every spring.
Full-depth patching Where the base itself has failed, surface repair will not hold. The section is excavated, the base rebuilt, and new asphalt laid.
Infrared repair For localized surface defects, the existing asphalt is heated, reworked, and recompacted — creating a seamless repair without a cut edge that can fail later.
Catch basin and drainage repair Asphalt around catch basins fails first because water concentrates there. Repairing the surface without addressing the drainage means repairing it again.
Trip hazards Raised edges, sunken sections, and settlement at seams. A liability issue before it is a maintenance one.
Reading what your lot is telling you
Hairline and linear cracks — normal aging. Fill them and they stop being a problem.
Alligator cracking (interconnected, resembling scales) — base failure, not a surface issue. Filling it does nothing. This section needs full-depth repair.
Potholes — water has been in the base long enough to wash out support.
Depressions holding water — a low spot or a base problem. Standing water accelerates every other failure mode, so this gets fixed before sealcoating.
Raveling (loose aggregate, surface coming apart) — the binder has oxidized. Repair, then seal.
Edge cracking — usually poor drainage or vegetation encroaching from the perimeter.
Repair, then seal, then stripe
rder matters and skipping steps costs more than doing them.
Repair fixes what has already failed. Sealcoat protects what has not failed yet. Striping puts the layout back after the sealer covers it. Doing these out of order — or sealing over unrepaired damage — means paying twice.
What repair costs
Repair pricing depends on the type of failure, the area affected, and whether the base is involved. Crack filling is priced by linear foot. Patching is priced by area and depth. Full-depth work costs substantially more than surface repair, which is the argument for catching problems early.
Photos help considerably here — most repair scope can be assessed from good pictures before anyone visits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can repairs be done in winter?
Crack filling and cold patch can be done in cold weather as a temporary measure. Permanent hot-mix repair generally needs warmer conditions and an operating asphalt plant, which closes seasonally in this region.
Is it worth repairing or should we repave?
Depends on how much of the lot has failed and whether the base is intact. Widespread alligator cracking across most of the surface suggests the base is gone and repair is deferring an inevitable cost. Localized failures on an otherwise sound lot are worth repairing.
Why does the same pothole keep coming back?
Almost always because the base was never addressed, or water is still getting in nearby. Surface patching a base failure buys one season.
How long do repairs last?
A properly executed full-depth patch should last as long as the surrounding pavement. Cold patch is temporary by design.
Request pricing for asphalt repair
Send the property address and photos of the problem areas.
