Asphalt resurfacing in Edmonton, where the base holds
Resurfacing puts a new wearing layer over the surface you already have. It only works where the ground underneath has not moved, which is why the honest version of this service includes being told when it is not an option.
When resurfacing is the right call on Edmonton asphalt
The test is whether the ground has moved. A surface that is grey, worn and carrying separate cracks has aged on top while the base held, and a bonded layer over it will behave like a new surface for years.
Where the cracking has joined into a connected network, the base has already lost strength, and an overlay reflects that pattern straight back through within a season or two. That surface needs removal and replacement instead.
Between the two sits the common case of a sound surface with a few bad patches. Those are cut out and rebuilt first, then the overlay goes over the lot. Working out which case you have is the whole decision.
Bonded overlay
How it runs
How your Edmonton asphalt overlay is laid
Confirm the base has not moved
Cracking pattern, ponding and any sunken areas are checked. This is the step that decides whether resurfacing is honest or a way of selling cheap work twice.
Repair what would show through
Failed patches are cut out and rebuilt, and open cracks are sealed, because both will otherwise mirror themselves through the new layer.
Mill the edges to keep the levels
Where the new layer would stand proud of a garage, a kerb or a drain, the existing surface is milled down so the finished height still works.
Tack, lay and roll
A bonding coat goes down first so the layers behave as one, then the new asphalt is laid hot and rolled to density like any other surface.
Why it costs less
Why resurfacing costs so much less in Edmonton
The expensive half of a paving job is everything that happens before the asphalt arrives: breaking out the old surface, carting it away, and rebuilding the granular layer underneath. An overlay skips all of it.
Disposal is the clearest saving. Nothing comes out, so nothing has to be hauled or tipped, and that line on a comparable replacement quote simply is not there.
The catch is that it is not always available, and a contractor who offers it on a failed base is selling you the same square metre twice. The signs that rule it out are visible without any equipment at all, and the age of the surface usually tells you which conversation you are about to have.
RemovalSkipped entirely
DisposalUsually nil
Patch repairsStill required
Related work
What usually goes with Edmonton resurfacing
The repairs that have to happen before an overlay is worth laying.
Look at the cracks. Separate lines running across the surface suggest the base is holding. Cracking that has joined into a network of small pieces means it has not.
Not if they were sealed and any failed sections were cut out first. Skipping that step is the usual reason an overlay shows the old pattern within a year or two.
Slightly, which matters at a garage door, a drain or a kerb. Those edges are milled down first so the finished level still works where it has to meet something fixed.
On a base that genuinely has not moved, it behaves like a new surface and goes on to a normal sealcoating cycle. On a weak base it is a short and expensive delay.
Substantially, because removal, disposal and base rebuilding are the expensive part of a paving job and an overlay avoids all three of them entirely. The saving is in what never has to leave the site.
Yes, and that is the usual approach on a site that has to keep trading. Each area is overlaid and reopened before the next one closes, so there is never a day with nowhere to park.
Find out whether your Edmonton surface can be resurfaced
A short site visit tells you whether an overlay will hold or whether the base has already gone. Both answers come with a figure, so you can compare them against each other.
