State of Maine Chipseal Contractor
Customers understanding and use of terms vary by location Tar and Chip is synonymous with Chipseal
A Quality Chipseal Contractor
- Macadam
- chip-and-seal
- asphaltic seal coat
- bituminous surface treatment
- Tar and chip
Call it what you want. Make sure to call us if you want a great-looking driveway or walkways with a decorative stone surface in the State of Maine.
We are a contractor that services the State of Maine with chip seal installations done by a company that specializes in just chip seal driveways and walkways. The “Pine Tree State or vacation land ” is not our home state. We are based in Massachusetts, which ironically Maine used to be part of MA back in the formation of the United States. Most of our work has been along the coastline. This makes sense since it is the most rural state has most of the population along the coast. The renewed focus on less travel and making a home as comfortable as possible has generated a lot of interest in high-quality decorative surfaces for their driveways other than flat and black asphalt pavement. Chipseal driveways produce a distinguished country look for the entrance to a home. This is what we bring to Maine homeowners the – highest quality materials and process to construct distinctive chipseal driveways in the State of Maine.
What We Do – Glamorous Driveways in Maine
Homeowners want alternatives to stand out. This desire for distinctive homes finished with a unique decorative driveway leads us to get calls to do chipseal work in the State of Maine. We do travel to other locations outside of the Boston area because we are a specialized contractor that focuses on just chipseal surfaces and only chipseal surfaces. In addition to driveways, we also do paths and walkways.
To see more of our work please take some time to look through our chip seal portfolio to see our completed jobs along with the details of our construction process.
To save you time searching for driveway services in Maine, it is essential to know what we do not do which is listed below. We point this out so potential customers understand our focus on being tooled and experts on chipseal driveway installations
What We Do Not Do
Here is a list of what we do not do;
- We do not pave driveways
- We are not a paving contractor.
- We do not do commercial paving.
- We do not fill potholes.
- We do not do parking lot striping
- We do not do commercial paving.
- We do not do parking lot installations
- We do not do stamped decorative asphalt
- We do not do asphalt repair.
- We do not do drainage improvements.
- We do not do drainage improvements.
- We are not a paving contractor.
This list got sort of out of control but does make the point regarding what makes us different from the other paving contractors in Maine do. We do work for and with other quality paving contractors as a subcontractor for their chipseal needs as well as homeowners.
We have this picture to make the point that we do not do this type of work and then now and then also do chipseal projects. One thing that makes us different is our single focus on decorative, durable pavement surfaces.
We DO specialize in chip seal driveways.
We have a laser-like focus on the best possible chip seal installations. This means we use better binder material because we have the right equipment to work with it. This one fact makes for a more durable end product. Since this is what we do, it makes sense that we are tooled for productivity doing this work. We have years of experience installing chip seal driveways. Over the years, we have learned what works and what does not. All of the details listed below add up to how we do chipseal driveways in Maine better than others who do it on a part-time basis. For us, it is not fill-in work that is to fill in the schedule.
The base
An excellent installation requires and solid foundation. We work with local paving contractors to ensure the based asphalt is sound and there is enough reveal for the stone layer to be installed and match the other surfaces on site. When the base is installed, we come and do the final coat. We do not build driveways or paths by mixing crushed stone and asphalt cement on a gravel-based to create a paved surface. This type of construction is used in other parts of the country for building farm-to-market roads, but we do not feel it is solid enough for driveways in the State of Maine.
The Glue
The glue used to hold the stone in place is a custom formulation that we can apply based on the dedicated trucks we use. The capital investment is well worth it since it creates a better bond between the base asphalt and the decorative stone. Others who do not have dedicated hot trucks use cold-applied materials that are air-dried. When applied the material is thinner so it does not encapsulate the stone as well. See the graphic below.
The Stone
We have dedicated stone sources, so we know the formula adjustments to match the stone source. In addition, the stone must be hard and not easily fractured. When another stone is used, the failure rate goes way up. The stone is washed multiple times of sand and silt. Without this step, the dirty stone prevents complete contact between the rock, the asphalt cement, and the base pavement.
We have the equipment and facilities to handle the flushing of the stone piles so they are clean. Washing with ample amounts of water and draining out as much as possible, the undersized particles help keep the uniform texture of the completed chip sealed surface.
Application
Our asphalt cement is sprayed with a long insulated spray bar at a consistent depth. Adjustments are easy to make since this material is thick and does not easily run like the material others use. The driveway slope is not a problem for our method. Being a temperature-based system, the set time is very short, and an unexpected thundershower is not a problem or risk to local waterways and drainage.
The skill in the application is to spray enough material to capture the decorative stone but not cover it. Sort of like a diamond in a ring. The stone needs to be held in place but not encapsulated by the setting of the ring. For the driveway, the “tar” can not bleed through and create the possibility of being spread by foot traffic into the garage or the house. The stone also has to be held in place for snow removal services that are all part of the Maine winters.
Stone Spreading
Our crew has years of experience in the feel of spreading the rock to the proper depth over the hot cement. There are a number of factors in getting the stone to the project site and then efficiently applying tons of material to the surface at the correct depth.
Our haul truck is a dedicated truck built to discharge out the back tailgate without having to raise the body, and the flow out the back is controlled hydraulically. The discharge is controlled remotely so there is no spilling that needs to be picked up. The belt discharge, this means we do not have to worry about overhead wires and trees. It will not tip over on the job. This allows us to get the truck close to the work and be efficient by discharging close to the work. Putting the stone in wheelbarrows and our custom chip spreader is very efficient because of the truck’s hydraulic belt-driven feed system. Many other contractors in Maine do not have this type of truck and no one has our custom-built spreader.
Rear Belt Discharge Flow Boy
A view of chip stone at the back of our truck that safely unloads without dumping
Rubber tired roller
Immediately after spreading the stone, a rubber-tired roller is used to press the chip stone into the hot asphalt cement. The chipped stone has been crushed and screened to have a specific size, so it creates a consistent depth of the surface coat being applied. The rubber-tired roller kneads the stone into place by shuffling and pushing the chip stone so that the chips interlock as much as possible. The rubber wheel is staggered so the stone is pushed and rolled into place, not cracked or chipped the way a steel drum roller does. When selecting a contractor ask to see what roller they use.
The use of the typical metal drum roller that most paving contractors have does not work as well. The pressure of the steel roller is all the weight focused on a single point, the tangent of the circle with too much single point contact splitting the rock and leaving it too small and sinking into the asphalt binder. The result is a lower-quality chip seal driveway installation.
If you ever get a chance to ride on a steel drum roller on a paved surface it is surprising how it reacts to and breaks pebbles if there are on the road. In hot asphalt, the steel drum is designed to compact hot asphalt and produce high-density asphalt.
Chipseal cost
One thing to consider is the size of the driveway. Since there is travel expense to Maine, a small driveway would not make a lot of sense. We do work with customers like this and do want a chipseal driveway done so we work to schedule it with a larger project. This way the travel cost is not too high. We are fully aware of this situation. Naturally, this requires flexibility in the schedule. For a quote on your project needs, please contact Paul at the phone number below.
Tar and Chip seal benefits
Some of the reasons our customers look to create a unique look for the entrance to the property
- Virtually Maintenance-free
- Beautiful Appearance
- Very Cost Effective
- Extremely Durable
- Superior Traction
- Seals Small Cracks and Imperfections
- Excellent Weather Proofing
- Gives New Life to Weathered Surfaces
- Protects Underlying Pavement from Oxidation, Aging and Traffic Wear
Maine Chipseal Driveway installation
One thing to consider is the size of the driveway. Since there is travel expense to Maine a small driveway may not make a lot of sense. We work with customers who want a driveway done and combine it with another project, so the travel cost is not too high. We are fully aware of this situation. Naturally, this requires flexibility in the schedule.
State of Maine locations we have worked in
The southeastern section of Maine along the coastline is where most projects have been. Towns we have worked in are,
If you are thinking about more than a flat and black asphalt driveway or pathway, we can provide an option to look at seriously. As a contractor dedicated to chipseal installations, we have a picture portfolio of completed projects that we would be happy to review with you. If you look at a different vendor, ask them what they have done in Maine, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts.
Call
So for a chipseal driveway in the State of Maine, you should contact us for a review of the job conditions and a price for chipsealing you’re walkways and driving surfaces. Call us at 1-781-254-2773