Your home is one of the things that needs proper maintenance and upkeep. Whatever the size of the structure, it needs to be checked for repairs and renovations. After all, your home is always in use, every hour and every minute of the day.
Plus, if you have a large household, you should expect that there will even be more stuff to maintain. Hence, as a responsible homeowner, you should make it a point to note down those sections that need to be repaired or renovated.
Also, you should work out the proper budget for such activities, especially if you’re going to upgrade some areas. Now one of the sections of any home that needs to be focused on is the driveway.
Here, we are going to discuss some tips to implement while repairing asphalt driveway
1. Schedule The Maintenance Work In Dry Season
Please ensure that you schedule that project during the dry season. It will be impractical to have it during the fall to winter months. During the winter and rainy season, heavy rainfall and snowfall will degrade the pavement quality and result in detioration of your driveway.
2. List Down The Material To Be Used
Meticulously list down the materials to be used. It’s better if you shop around for them yourself to save more money.
3. Use Primer
To begin repairing asphalt paving, you will want first to prime each area that you want to patch. By applying primer, asphalt will form a stronger bond, and it will be durable.
With the help of a primer, surrounding old asphalt will form a good bond with newly laid asphalt.
4. Clean The Pothole With Pressured Water
To make the process of cleaning the hole a little easier, you can use water to flush the hole or crack. Make sure that the pressure is high enough to remove small grass and rock pieces, and allow the area to dry thoroughly before applying the sealant to prime the area for repair.
It may take a few hours to dry well, so opting to make repairs on a warm, sunny day is ideal if you want to complete the project quickly. After cleaning and priming the area, it is time to move on to filling larger holes and cracks.
5. Refill The Hole Or Crack
Any crack or pothole that is larger than about two to three inches will need to be refilled with asphalt. Most homeowners rely on small tubes of asphalt paving that are used in a caulking gun. The tubes are much simpler to work with, especially when repairing smaller holes and cracks in the driveway.
To make these repairs, all you need to do is fill each hole with the rubber asphalt compound that you have chosen. To make the filled area smooth, you can use a flat edged tool, such as a garden hoe, to smooth and flatten the surface.
6. Use Sand And Glie Like Asphalt For Big Holes
You may occasionally need to make larger repairs on your driveway than a small amount of asphalt can handle. In these cases, you will want to purchase a mix that contains larger pieces of gravel and sand along with the glue-like asphalt.
You will want to follow the package directions for mixing the asphalt and fill each pothole or large crack with enough of the mix to make it level with the surrounding area.
If you do have some uneven surfaces after repairs, driving over the surface can push the repaired asphalt down, making it even with the surrounding area.
7. Cold Press or Hot?
When choosing the asphalt mixture, you need for larger sized repairs, cold-pressed asphalt is the best option for homeowners. Hot asphalt can be difficult to work with when you don’t have the right tools, and can even be dangerous if handled improperly.
Cold-pressed asphalt mixes are available through local stores, as well, providing you with an easy and affordable way to repair your driveway.
8. Take Help Of Professionals
Try to assess the existing condition of the same to decide whether or not you have to call in for professional help. In some cases, you can do the maintenance work.
But, calling professionals who offer civil construction services will ensure that you will have good quality work at your home. Work out the proper budget for your driveway repair or renovation project.
If it becomes necessary to call in the experts, then, by all means, do so. However, try to compare the rates of different professionals so you can select the most suitable one.
Make sure that professional fees being charged are also commensurate to the kind of services they deliver. It’s better if you check their other works so you can see for yourself the kind of work that they do.
Brief Summary
Well, think about it for a minute or two. The driveway is one of the most neglected portions of almost any residential structure. A lot of homeowners think that making it durable enough will do the trick.
After all, it’s just a pathway to your home’s entrance. However, note that the driveway is also one of the most exposed areas of your home.
Hence, it is always at the mercy of the elements, particularly when seasons change. All these being said, it’s imperative to perform routine maintenance or perhaps even renovation work on your driveway.