ForConstructionPros.com

Decorative asphalt has been around the market for a while - about 15 years - but contractors and customers are just starting to take notice. Decorative asphalt includes stamped asphalt, thermoplastics, and epoxy and stone systems and coatings, says Gerry Oliver, president of Pattern Paving Products.

Decorative asphalt is really starting to take off in the paving industry. Oliver says a lot of people are using decorative asphalt to increase their property values. Greg Larson, owner and president of Thermotrack, sees the same situation. "A homeowner will invest in his property and always work to maintain the value of his investment," Larson says. Decorative asphalt offers a new avenue for homeowners to improve their properties.

Oliver and Larson agree that the contractor applicator base is getting larger and better when it comes to decorative asphalt. Because of this, Oliver says he is seeing decorative asphalt now being used on much larger projects. And, it is becoming more popular in the commercial market as well, he adds. "In the '90s we had to try to convince people that this is a product that is going to last." Now, customers are requesting it and it is being spec-ed into projects.

Larson says the economy is one of the factors driving so many contractors to add decorative asphalt services to their businesses. "A lot of pavement contractors who weren't into decorative have now gotten into it and promoted it. They're diversifying their company and adding to their portfolio," Larson says. Plus, they're adding another revenue source as well, which is important when other areas of the paving industry slow down.

The decorative asphalt industry hasn't been immune to the current economic situation either. However, it hasn't all been bad news.