Micro Surfacing

Introduction to Micro-Surfacing

The History of an Expanding Service

Micro-Surfacing was developed in Germany in the late 1960's and early 1970's. German scientists began experimenting with conventional slurry to find a way to utilize it in thicker applications which could be applied in narrow courses for wheel ruts -- and not destroy the expensive road striping lines on the autobahns.

When the scientists combined highly selected aggregates and bitumen, and then added special polymers and emulsifiers that allowed the product to remain stable even when applied in multi-stone thicknesses, the result was Micro-Surfacing.

Brought to the United States in 1980, Micro-Surfacing now is recognized not only as the most cost-effective way to treat the surface wheel-rutting problem, but also a variety of other road surface problems. Micro-Surfacing is now used throughout Europe, the United States, and Australia, and is making inroads into many other areas.

What is Micro-Surfacing?

One of the most versatile tools in road maintenance, Micro-Surfacing is a polymer modified cold-mix paving system that can be a solution to a broad range of problems on today's streets, highways and airfields.

Like its parent product, slurry seal, Micro-Surfacing begins as a mixture of dense-graded aggregate, asphalt emulsion, water, and mineral fillers. While regular slurry seal is used around the world as an economical treatment for sealing and extending the life of both urban and rural roads, Micro-Surfacing has many added capabilities, thanks to the use of high-quality, carefully monitored materials, including advanced polymers and other modern additives.