Maintaining Asphalt Driveways

Here are some ways you can easily maintain asphalt driveways. These tips are sure to help reduce future repair costs as well as help make your driveway last much longer.

Seal Coating

Many people seal coat too early. You should leave at least 3 months before seal coating the surface. However your driveway needs time to cure. If you seal coat early, the oils that give asphalt it’s flexibility are locked in. While this can sound like a good thing, however with seasonal changes, too much flexibility leads to tire impressions and early deterioration. Asphalt will become brittle as it ages and the oils break down. A new seal coat should be applied within 5 years of the first coat, then every 3 years after that. You shouldn’t ever let any citrus based cleaners spill on your driveway as they will damage the seal coat.

Avoiding Marks

To avoid tire marks on your driveway, make sure to avoid making sharp turns with your vehicle or turning your steering wheel while the car is not in motion. You should also not drive heavy machinery like a trash collector on your driveway. The driveway does not have the ability to support heavy objects like a road does. However if you must store something like an RV, place plywood under the wheels to avoid damaging the driveway. Rotate your parking spots in order to evenly distribute the weight while the asphalt is curing. Asphalt only cures during the hot summer months, so this only needs to be done then.

Avoiding Cracking

Keep sharp and pointy objects off the asphalt to reduce cracks left in the asphalt. This includes motorcycle stands, high heels, and boat jacks. You should also sweep the driveway of the grass clippings, as the seeds can find their way into tiny cracks, sprouting as weeds. Pull growing weeds immediately. If they’re left to grow they will create larger cracks. And if you have chosen a driveway laid without supportive bordering, try not to drive vehicles off the edge of your driveway as this will lead to cracks which will crumble or expand more over time. Repair cracks with filler to halt further deterioration. Undrained water can get through cracks into the gravel base, washing it away and causing potholes.

Cleaning

You should hose your driveway down every other day or whenever it has noticeable dirt on it. Both oil and fuel spills should be cleaned off of the driveway as soon as possible. They won’t immediately lead to deterioration, but they will leave very ugly oil marks on your driveway.

We hope these help you maintain your driveway! If you follow these tips we guarantee your driveway will last much longer and you will not only save your own time, but you will save money on repairs.