This winter, maintaining your driveway should mean more than just keeping it clear of snow. Recent years have brought technological improvements and new materials to the driveway world, all of which can help make the entryway to your home cleaner, more attractive, and more maintainable as ever. To help give you the lay of the land and determine which options are right for you, Redfin has gathered driveway professionals from Roseville to Philadelphia. Read on for expert tips and insights and find out what it takes to build a driveway worthy of your home today.
Know When to Use Hot Crack Fill
Industry experts might not agree on whether sealing asphalt pavement on a regular basis is cost-effective or not, but we will all agree that proper hot crack filling at the right time will extend the useful life of a pavement surface in a cost-effective way. Sealer at that point is mostly cosmetic. – Darien Asphalt
Sealcoat Your Driveway
Your driveway’s surface is like your skin: too much sun and too much water will dry it out. Harsh UV rays will weaken speed up oxidation and weaken the protective barrier. Just like your skin needs moisture and protection from the elements, so does your driveway. When maintaining your driveway it’s important to select a commercial grade sealcoat designed to protect the asphalt surface from sun, snow, ice, rain, and traffic. Protecting your asphalt surface can extend the life of your asphalt by three times, which ultimately saves you from having to repave three times instead of one. We always recommend an asphalt-based sealer instead of a latex-based sealer so that the sealer properly adheres. After all, asphalt is asphalt-based. A freshly sealcoated asphalt surface also absorbs the heat from the sun and melts the snow and ice off faster. Many airports select to sealcoat their asphalt assets every two years for this reason. They want to keep the asphalt a rich black sun-absorbing surface that melts snow and ice from the runways. Prior to sealcoating, it’s important that you clean out all the cracks from all dirt, debris, and vegetation and then seal them watertight with a commercial grade crack filler. This will prevent the water from getting into the cracks, eroding the foundation causing expensive repairs such as potholes and depressions that are also a safety hazard. – Asphalt Kingdom
When it comes to DO’s for maintaining your concrete driveway, it is important to coat or seal your concrete driveway to protect it. Another way to protect your driveway is quickly repairing cracks or damaged areas. Also, don’t allow water to pool in areas. Furthermore, regularly cleaning your pavement will help maintain a long-lasting concrete driveway. Lastly, if you are looking to remodel your driveway we recommend hiring a professional concrete contractor. – All County Landscape and Hardscape
Invest in an Automated Driveway Heating System
Through the years, radiant heat has proven beneficial for the long term well being of paved driveways. While driveway heating systems eliminate the need for salt and other corrosive snowmelt chemicals, the systems also help to prevent concrete spalling, which can eventually lead to cracking. Radiant heat melts the snow and dries the pavement, so there is no water left to refreeze on the porous concrete surface. ProLine offers complete snow melting systems and services, including free installation training, system design, and technical support. – Proline Radiant
Driveway surfaces last longer when they’re not exposed to sub-zero temps. Because concrete is naturally porous, water from melted snow that refreezes on the driveway can lead to surface spalling, which eventually results in cracking. Warmzone’s automated driveway heating systems can maintain a temperature above freezing, and dry melted snow to help protect the integrity of the driveway. Radiant heat also eliminates the need for snowplows or repeated applications of salt and other corrosive snow melting chemicals that not only damage the driveway but kill surrounding grass and plants. – Warmzone
Choose a Reputable Contractor
Your Driveway is part of the investment you make when you purchase a home. It adds curb appeal to your property and adds value to your home. The best way to protect that investment is to sealcoat your driveway. Not every driveway can be sealcoated, if your driveway has alligator or spider-cracking over large portions this indicates a sub-base failure and you should have your driveway replaced by a professional. If yours is in good shape then sealcoating is the best way to protect that investment. The most important part when it comes to sealcoating your driveway is picking a reputable contractor. I always advise all my customers to get a minimum of 3 estimates. Be sure to ask for referrals and other jobs the contractor has done in your area. Any good contractor will have no issue with this request. – James Kurpiel Inc.
Do and Dont’s
Do:
- Fill asphalt cracks as needed with hot crack fill.
- Seal the asphalt surface with a properly diluted sealcoat.
Don’t:
- Don’t seal your new asphalt prior to 1 year.
- Don’t over seal your surface. Wait for the prior sealcoat to completely wear away before applying any more coats of seal. – Ramsey Asphalt
Winterize Your Driveway
In some areas of the US, where they consistently ice the roads it can be beneficial to rinse your car, specifically the tires, before parking for the night. Large amounts of de-icer or mag-chloride buildup on your driveway can cause spalling or the breakup of the surface of your driveway. Also, consider where you shovel your snow! Try to keep large snow build-up away from your driveway or other concrete pads. When the snow all melts, that moisture can cause soil degradation under your driveway and cause it to sink! For other tips for preserving your concrete, Follow Liftech‘s social media for weekly videos and tips! – Liftech
How to Seal Cracked Pavements
How do you seal cracked pavements? Clean Driveway, Patch Cracks and Holes using crack filler, after it dries, apply sealant twice. You can use a dry concrete mix or concrete patching compound for driveway crack repair. If you have a cement or asphalt driveway, resealing can repair small cracks and chips by itself. For bigger cracks, use a concrete mix or patching compound that contains gravel. Put the mix (or compound) in a large bucket and add water as directed on the label. If you plan to hire, expenses between $0.10 and $0.16 per square foot is common. – Perfect-Dwell
