Large amounts of snow and ice can quickly cover the ground, increasing the risk of falls and the complexity of moving around.

To alleviate this situation, de-icing salts are often applied to accelerate the melting. Although effective, these products can have harmful effects on concrete, brick, natural stone, and other building materials, waterways, and gardens.

At Surface Solutions, we provide practical solutions for keeping your residential or commercial asphalt and concrete pavement in Ocean City, MD, in excellent condition throughout the year. Click here to book your slot today!

We’ll discuss the top four strange but true facts about salting concrete and asphalt surfaces in today’s blog.

1. Salting Doesn’t Do Land Damage

You might have heard several times that salting asphalt and concrete surfaces result in cracks and potholes. However, this is not true!

Potholes are formed when the water seeps under the top layer of the surface due to any structural deformity. On the other hand, cracks are created because of excessive vehicle load or errors in design and construction.

2. Salting is Potentially Harmful to the Environment

Although salt exaggerates the freeze-thaw cycle, it still leaves a negative impact on the environment. When the snow and ice melt, salt mixes with water that directly drains into lawns and flowerbeds. This not only damages the existing plants and flowers but also affects the growth of new plants.

On the other hand, salt in water runoff also affects waterways and other asphalt surfaces.

3. Salting Doesn’t Speed up Asphalt Deterioration

If your asphalt surfaces are professionally laid and high-quality materials are used during the installation process, salting can never harm the asphalt’s performance because an asphalt pavement is made up of hot-mix asphalt that includes aggregates of petroleum, sand, and stones. All these elements are immune to salt and other de-icing agents. 

However, if your asphalt surface is already at the stage of aging, in that case, the salt application may speed up the process by a little. Remember to get a professional to survey your pavement before you decide to apply salt to the surface.

4. Salting Does Cause Concrete Deterioration

Since salt is acidic in nature, the concrete surface may get damaged by the salt application.

Moreover, the ratio of potholes and cracks forming on the concrete pavement is higher than asphalt; therefore you need to think a hundred times before applying salt on concrete!

However, you can always use alternative strategies for clearing ice off your concrete pavement. For instance:

• Shoveling your pavement right after a snowfall
• Improving the drainage system on your asphalt or concrete surfaces
• Using chemical anti-icing agents to prevent ice build-up.

Need more concrete and asphalt paving maintenance tips for this winter? Click here today! Surface Solutions provides high-quality pavement installation and maintenance services in Ocean City, MD, at economical rates. Get in touch with us now!

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