- 20+ Years in Germiston
- Own Crew & Plant
- Free Written Quotes
- One Contractor, Full Accountability
About Tarring of Parking Areas
A parking area takes a different kind of punishment to a driveway — vehicles turn and brake in the same few spots, delivery trucks and bin lorries load it beyond what a car does, and it has to drain properly across a much bigger area or every low point becomes a puddle by the next rainy season. We tar parking areas for businesses, industrial premises, shopping centres, complexes and municipal sites around Germiston, the East Rand and Johannesburg, and we build them the same way regardless of who the client is: excavate and compact the base properly, lay the tar to the thickness the traffic needs, and mark out the bays once it has cured. Most of the parking areas we get called out to fix were laid by a contractor who priced the surfacing and skipped the base — we would rather quote you properly the first time.
What's Included
- Site measured and assessed before any work is quoted
- Bay layout and traffic routes set out on site
- Base excavated and compacted in checked stages
- Heavier base, thicker surfacing at loading, turning zones
- Falls and levels set so water drains, not pools
- Kerbing and edge restraint installed where needed
- Bay markings, disabled bays and directional lines painted
- Work phased section by section so the site stays open
Our Process
- 1
Assess and Set Out
We measure the site, check the existing ground, drainage and obstructions, and set out the bay layout and traffic routes before any work starts — this is also the visit where we give you a free, written quote. For sites that need to stay open, we plan how the job will be phased section by section around your operating hours, so there's still parking available while we work.
- 2
Excavate and Prepare Base
We excavate to the design depth, remove unsuitable material, and bring in and compact layerworks in stages, checking compaction as we go. This is the stage that determines whether the parking area is still flat and solid in five years or breaking up within eighteen months, and we use our own compaction plant rather than waiting on hired equipment.
- 3
Surface, Kerb and Drain
Once the base is compacted and checked, we lay the tar surfacing to the thickness each zone needs — thicker under loading bays and turning areas — and roll it with our own paver and roller for proper density. Where the job calls for it, kerbing and drainage are installed to define bays, protect edges and direct stormwater, planned in before surfacing rather than added afterwards.
- 4
Mark Bays and Lines
Once the surface has cured enough to take paint, we mark out parking bays, disabled bays, directional arrows and any hatching or lines the layout needs. We can mark a newly laid surface, or re-mark bays on an existing parking area where the lines have faded past being useful.
Project Gallery
Tarring of Parking Areas FAQ
How thick should tar be for a parking area?
It depends on the traffic the area carries. Standard parking bays used only by cars generally need less surfacing thickness than loading bays, delivery routes or any area a truck or forklift crosses regularly, which need a thicker surfacing course and a deeper compacted base underneath it. We design the thickness per zone rather than applying one spec across a whole parking area, because the load is not the same everywhere on the site. We confirm the thickness we are laying in writing as part of the quote.
How long does a tarred parking area last?
A properly built tarred parking area, on a compacted base with drainage that actually works, should give many years of service before it needs resurfacing, with crack sealing and pothole repairs handling the smaller issues along the way. How long it actually lasts depends far more on what is underneath the surface than on the tar itself; a parking area with a weak or poorly drained base can start failing within a year or two regardless of how well the top surfacing was laid.
What is the difference between tar and asphalt for a parking area?
On South African sites, "tarring" and "asphalt surfacing" generally describe the same hot-mix surfacing process and material, laid and compacted the same way. Where there is a real distinction is chip-and-spray, which sprays a bitumen binder and rolls stone chips into it rather than laying a pre-mixed hot-mix surface. Chip-and-spray costs less to install and suits lower-traffic areas, while a tarred or asphalt surface handles heavier, more concentrated traffic like loading bays and turning areas better. We can quote either, depending on how the parking area will actually be used.
How much does it cost to tar a parking area?
We do not publish a rate card, because cost depends on the size of the area, ground conditions, how much base preparation and excavation is needed, and whether kerbing, drainage or bay marking are included. We give a free, written, on-site quote once we have measured your specific parking area, and the same pricing basis applies whether you are a private client or a municipal one.
How long does it take to tar a parking area?
It depends on the size of the area and how much base preparation it needs. A small parking area with a sound existing base takes considerably less time than a large site needing full excavation, layerworks and drainage. We give you a programme as part of the quote once we have assessed the site, so you know what to expect before work starts rather than finding out halfway through.
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