Asphalt Repair and Fissure Filling

Over time, every asphalt driveway develops cracks and pits. Here'south how to fight dorsum.

Introduction

Learn how to ready driveway cracks and pits the right way. They're more than just an eyesore; they actually speed up the demise of your driveway if you ignore them.

DIY Driveway Repair: Set Driveway Cracks

In common cold climates, water seeps in and destroys the asphalt when it expands during freezing. If you plan to topcoat your driveway, you'll need to fix the croaky driveway first and do asphalt repair later.

You lot can buy squeeze bottle and caulk tube–way crevice filler products from whatsoever dwelling house middle. They're quick and easy to utilize, but they shrink and crack and don't last very long. Withal, there's another style to fill up asphalt cracks: with melt-in filler that doesn't compress—the same type used past highway crews. The melt-in material and trowelable cover mix cost about $100 for a typical driveway.

It'll take almost a full day to repair several cracks if they're xx ft. long or so, only the asphalt repair work will last much longer than other quick fixes. In addition to the melt-in and trowel mix products, you'll need a propane torch with an extension hose, and a foliage blower or compressed air gun. Use an angle grinder fitted with a diamond wheel to widen hairline cracks and to quickly remove previously applied cracked driveway fillers.

Buy the supplies and tools

We used cook-in 1/ii-in.-bore Latex-ite Pli-Stix Scissure and Joint Filler and the best asphalt patch, Latex-ite Trowel Patch, for this project. Our driveway had several 25-ft.- long cracks. So nosotros bought four 30-ft. packages of the scissure filler and four 2-gallon pails of the trowel patch. We already had a propane torch. Just we bought a 5-foot extension hose to eliminate the flame-outs that occur when you tip a propane cylinder upside downwardly (WH0159 Bernzomatic Universal Torch Extension Hose).

Cheque the weather and prep the cracks

Choose a sunny mean solar day with no rain in the forecast for at to the lowest degree 24 hours. Showtime by rolling the driveway crack filler rope onto a sunny section of the driveway and so it warms and softens. While it's warming, remove all the dirt, weeds and old driveway crack filler from the cracks. Scrape out the old cloth with a flat-blade screwdriver or five-in-1 paint tool. It'due south a painstaking process, simply it's disquisitional to getting a successful repair. So don't skip it or take shortcuts. Cleaning and filling hairline cracks are more time consuming for asphalt repair, and the fix won't terminal unless y'all widen them with an angle grinder and diamond cycle (Photograph 1).

Once you finish digging out all the cracks, blow the dust and droppings out of the cracks and off the driveway using a foliage blower or compressed air gun.

Projection pace-by-pace (seven)

Pace i

Add the driveway crevice filler and melt information technology

Widen hairline cracks

crack

Plunge the diamond wheel into one end of the fissure and drag backward to dig out any old filler and widen the crack.

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Step ii

Stuff the crack with driveway crack filler

filler

Jam the driveway crack filler deep into the crevice using a apartment-blade screwdriver. Add a 2d layer to fill up deeper or wider cracks.

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Step 4

Melt the filler

melt

Sweep the torch flame side to side slowly over a 12-in. section until the filler begins to melt. Then movement on to the side by side department. Render to the previous department and rut again until the filler levels out and seeps into the crevice.

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Footstep five

Add together trowel mix and and then smooth information technology

trowel

After the filler has cooled, scoop upwardly the trowel asphalt driveway patch and tap it onto the crack filler to create a small mound. Smooth information technology with a trowel and allow dry overnight. If a depression remains the next day, use a second glaze.

Push the melt-in filler deep into the cracks (Photograph 2). If any filler bulges above the surface of the driveway, cut off the excess with a knife or compress it so it sits below the surface (Photo 3). Then spiral the extension hose onto your propane tank and mount the torch to the other stop and fire it up. The melt-in filler burns easily, then don't try to melt it in i fell swoop. Using just the tip of the flame, slowly melt the filler (Photograph 4). If the filler starts to fire, blow out the flames and use a faster sweeping motion or motion the flame farther from the cleft.

Allow the filler to cool to the touch (at to the lowest degree xx minutes) before covering information technology with the trowel patch material. So lay down a bead of trowel patch and smoothen it (Photo 5). Let the trowel patch dry overnight. Apply a 2d coat if you meet a depression where the crack was filled.

xiii Artistic Driveway Landscaping Ideas

Step six

Asphalt driveway patch for pitted asphalt

Fill up the pits

smooth

Force the cobblestone driveway patch filler fabric into the cracks and pits with a trowel. And then shine the streaks with an old broom.

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Step seven

Enlarge the surface area and smooth

spread

Pour more than filler cloth onto the pitted expanse and spread information technology with a floor squeegee to smooth the surface.

Asphalt driveways can develop pitted areas from motor oil and coolant contamination and repeated freeze/thaw cycles. If the pits are 1/2 in. or less, you can make full them with a spreadable filler product for asphalt repair. (We used Latex-ite Trowel Patch again.)

Clean oil stains and prime with oil stain primer. And so coat the entire pitted surface area with asphalt driveway patch material and let dry overnight (Photo 1). Utilize a second coat to elevation off whatever partially filled pits (Photograph 2) and smooth the surface. Allow dry to complete your asphalt repair.

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