With the warm weather finally arriving, tarmac is getting plenty of use. But with all this traffic on it, how long does tarmac take to dry? It’s a question that many people are asking themselves. To find out just how long it takes for your tarmac to dry after being laid or resurfaced, you should keep reading!
Cure vs Dry
A common mistake when it comes to tarmac is that people think “dry” means cured. So in the case of laying your new tarmac driveway, you may decide not to use a contractor after all because they say it will take three days for their work to dry. This is a safe amount of time to wait before you drive over the surface. However, it doesn’t mean that after three days your driveway is ready to use!
It’s a common mistake for homeowners who have decided to take on their own paving project. You know that tarmac takes two or more days to dry out – but this isn’t long enough for people to park their vehicles on the driveway. We would recommend allowing at least five days for the tarmac to dry out properly.
Tarmac in Hot Weather
Weather conditions play a huge part in the curing process of any tarmac, but if you live somewhere like Dubai where it’s constantly above 32 degrees then this can be sped up. This is because the tarmac can set in just a few hours when it’s hot outside. If the temperature is below 15 degrees then this process will take longer as tarmac requires a lot of heat to set.
Tarmac in Cold Weather
If you live somewhere like Scotland where it’s constantly below 15 degrees then the curing process becomes very slow because tarmac needs to be heated before it can become hard and durable.
The colder temperatures mean that this heating element cannot work, so the material remains soft for longer periods of time which could cause an issue for commercial environments due to the increased risk of damage.
Tarmac in the Rain
It’s not just the temperature that causes delays, but also if it has been raining then this will affect how long tarmac takes to set because water is a key element for setting hard materials like pavements and roads. If there are high levels of moisture around during the curing process this could lead to issues such as potholes.
In Summary
We hope that you found this blog post useful and informative. If it is your goal to create an outdoor space with a durable, aesthetically pleasing surface area, we can help!
Jordans Surfacing has been creating residential and commercial surfaces for over 40 years. Whether you need tarmac or concrete resurfaced, please contact us today for more information on how our team of experts can make your vision become reality.