How to Repair and Maintain Your Asphalt Driveway or Walkway

For 33 years, I worked as a maintenance man for my school district in the summer. One of my jobs was to help maintain the asphalted playground, tennis courts, basketball courts and driveways for the district. A good asphalt driveway or walkway will last as long as it is well maintained. The oil based asphalt takes its toll from the bleaching of the sun. The freezing and refreezing of the ground under the asphalt has a tendency to push up and pull down on the asphalt causing it to crack. Once asphalt has cracked, the crack is there to stay. Unless you decide to replace the entire driveway.

You can fix the crack and even the holes if you know how. Hopefully these ideas will help you with your over all maintenance of the area in question. First lets deal with cracks. You will need fine granulated white sand and crack filler. Dump the sand over the crack area and brush it into the crack area with a broom. Repeat this same process for three days. Time will give the sand a chance to settle in the lower ends of the cracked area. When you see that the sand is staying and you no longer have a large crack to fill, it is ready for the crack filler. The crack filler must be hand shaken very well. It too contains some sand. If it isn't shook up well the sand will stay at the bottom of the mixture. The crack filler usually comes in a jug that has a spout on it. Cut the spout at a diagonal angle. Now pour straight into the crack. This should leave a bead on top of the cracked surface. That's it.

For a hole, you must clean out any lose debris. You will need asphalt mix or even better see if you can borrow some from the local street department. Many times they will have piles;es of this stuff. It is messy so put it in a five gallon bucket for transportation. Now just simply fill your hole. Unlike a crack, you don't want a bubble or head on the top. If you have a metal pounder, beat it down till it is level with the rest of the pavement. This also helps secure the new to the old material. If you don't have a pounder, take a piece of plywood and set it over the top of the hole. Now use your body weight and simply step or even jump on the plywood to level out the pavement. Bigger holes may need a roller with more weight.

One of the biggest problems is that of the sun. The sun will bleach out the oil from the pavement. That is why most pavements have to be treated yearly. Read the directions on your treatment oil. You will notice they suggest a day when the temperature is over 60 degrees. The warmer it is the better the oil will work into the surface. You can either use a brush or a squeegee to put on the material. If you have cracks or hole attend to them before going over the surface.

When you are finished, block off the driveway or walkway for at least 24 hours. If you live in a hot area, it might take longer. The combination of sun and air will quickly dry it out so that you can walk or drive on it.

Use only chemicals that are designed for maintenance and repair. I have seen people use roofing tar and plastic cement. These are bad items to use. Only use petroleum products designed for asphalt.

One last thing to keep in mind and this has nothing to do with repair but everything to do with future maintenance. Always try to keep your ground base above the water table in your ground. a good solid base will help maintain your asphalt for many years. If you have a high water base with an old rock driveway, you can expect problems. The freezing and refreezing will force those rocks up and cause breaks and holes in your asphalt.