There is nothing better than a freshly paved parking lot. It looks so smooth and shiny and clean. If you want to keep it that way, however, that's going to take a little work and upkeep on your part. Fortunately, parking lot maintenance isn't all that difficult as long as you know what to do and you do it regularly.

To start, you'll want to make sure that you sweep your parking lot on a regular basis. Obviously, this can be a lot of work, especially if you have a large parking lot, so you may want to hire professional sweepers to handle the job for you.

In any case, regular sweeping will keep debris out of your lot. This will help with drainage and will keep your lot from growing weak or sustaining water damage, allowing it to look and perform great for a very long time.

Did you know that, if a vehicle stays parked in one place for too long, it can actually damage your parking lot? This is especially true if the vehicle is very heavy.

Having all of that weight parked on your lot can, over time, weaken the surface of your parking lot. This could easily lead to potholes, missing chunks of pavement and other issues.

As such, enforce towing when vehicles are left too long or are abandoned in your parking lot. After all, not only are they damaging the lot, but they're taking up a valuable space that others could be using.

As mentioned earlier, drainage is important in order for a parking lot to stay strong and healthy. If water doesn't have somewhere to go, it will stay in your lot, weakening it and creating a hazard.

If you have adequate drainage, however, the water can leave your parking lot as soon as it accumulates. Just make sure you maintain your drains regularly, keeping them from getting backed up or blocked by debris. Otherwise, they won't do their job of protecting your parking lot.

If you want a great parking lot, a good habit to get into is regularly checking your lot for cracks and general surface damage. While even the best parking lots can be expected to have one or two cracks here and there, you'll definitely want to take action if you notice a lot of cracking or surface wear.

A good step to take as needed is to have your lot re-paved to fill in any cracks, holes or other damage. Also, when you're in between repaving jobs, make sure that you don't allow any weeds or other plants to start growing in the cracks. Their roots can severely weaken your parking lot and even push parts of it upward if you allow this problem to go on too long.

One final thing that you can do to keep your parking lot looking great is to have it sealcoated on a regular basis. Sealcoating basically puts a protective layer down over your parking lot, allowing it to stay strong and intact for much longer than it otherwise would.

How often you'll need sealcoating will vary based on the traffic your lot gets, but a good sealcoating provider can advise you on how often to have the procedure done.

As you can see, keeping your parking lot looking its best is not difficult. If you can follow these simple tips and connect with a good parking lot and paving contractor, such as the experts at Wenger Paving, INC , you should have no problem maintaining your lot.