Important Care Tips for Your Asphalt Driveway
Building an asphalt driveway is an excellent way to ensure convenient access to your home. But like other driveways, your asphalt roadway will need to be properly looked after to remain intact and nice-looking throughout its expected service life.
Here is a look at some useful tips meant to maximise the performance and lifespan of your asphalt driveway.
Sealing of Cracks
Over time, you will inevitably start to see hairline cracks forming on the surface of your asphalt driveway. This happens because asphalt will expand or contract due to temperature variations. While minor cracks in asphalt may seem like nothing more than a cosmetic issue, they should not be left untreated because they can later cause costly structural damage.
The good news is that the materials used to seal minor cracks in asphalt are available as easy-to-use liquid products that almost anyone can apply.
Sealcoating
After a newly-installed asphalt driveway has cured properly, an initial layer of sealcoat is usually applied onto its surface to protect the road from the damaging effects of harsh weather elements such as rain, snow, ice, hail, UV radiation from sunlight and more.
Over time, this surface coating system degrades, leaving the asphalt structure at risk of suffering heavy damage. As part of preventative maintenance, you will need to sealcoat your driveway from time to time to keep the sub-base layer protected from water damage and moisture penetration.
Overlays
While sealing the cracks in your asphalt and sealcoating the surface will help to maintain the performance of your driveway and increase its durability, the driveway will require a completely new layer of asphalt at some point in the future to help maintain the desired level of strength and smoothness.
Before the additional layer of asphalt can be installed over the existing layer, however, the pavement should be inspected for large cracks, potholes and other issues that may compromise its structural integrity. Any problems found must be addressed before the driveway can be resurfaced.
Keep in mind that the above-highlighted maintenance and repair regimen only works for properly designed and constructed driveways. An asphalt driveway that has not been designed and installed properly will fail prematurely regardless of how well it is maintained and cared for. A local asphalt company can install your driveway professionally in addition to offering the maintenance and repair services discussed above.
Contact an asphalt company or an asphalt contractor for more information.
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