Surface Dressing

Calladine’s also specialise in Surface Dressing, also known as Tar & Chipping.

Why we do it.

Surface Dressing is a preventative treatment. it is a commonly used way to extend the life of a road. It is an essential part of a surface repair that is worn and crack for patching and resurfacing. 

Surface dressing seals the road and prevents water entering the structure of the road. This can lead to long-term damage – especially when it is as a result of freezing and thawing in winter. 

Compared to resurfacing, the process of surface dressing provides a very low carbon footprint solution.

About the treatment

The road to be surfaced to be dressed has to be prepared. Any obvious defects are repaired before the surface dressing starts. (Things like pot holes, cracks and road edge breakup). We also have to protect any drains or inspection covers that maybe in the existing road.

Calladine’s then spray the road  a bitumen binder with our bitumen tanker. The spray is hot bitumen. This is then followed by our chip spreader that finishes the surface of the road.

The next and essential part of the process involves the slow compaction by firstly  with a road roller, then slow moving traffic. We leave loose chipping on the road to protect the surface treatment. 

The chips can be any hard wearing product, such as washed gravel, right through to granite. 

Access required

.The Surface dressing method is very widely used, as it is a low cost effective method of road maintenance.