Keeping My Driveway Crack Free - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

ismusbe · 10-30-2004, 02:19 PM

Hey there, my driveway was paved about 10 years ago and the weather and wear have broken the pavement in several places and I've decided to have another two inches put down and sealed. Any suggestions on how to keep the pavement in tip top shape and as long lasting as possible?

mrdarcy · 10-31-2004, 08:15 PM

Asphalt, like everything else, dries out with time. This drying out results in shrinkage. There's no getting around it.

This shrinkage then, eventually results in cracks. These will either be tiny cracks spread all over, or large cracks concentrated where there is stress such as the ground shifting or heavy loads causing the surface to shift. Or a mixture of both.

If you live in an area that is prone to heavy freezes, water that seeps into tiny cracks will freeze, expand, and make the cracks bigger.

Also, heavy traffic or heavy weight will cause the asphalt to shift, creating stress points that will crack.

The best medicine is an occasional top coating that seeps into the tiny cracks to prevent them from becoming bigger cracks. Be careful not to trap water in cracks. I have seen water trapped in cracks turn to steam and blow holes in patches as it escapes.

If you get a bigger crack, such as stress crack or ground shift, fill it at once with a latex crack filler and then apply a top coat.

Unfortunately, asphalt is much like painting a house. You can keep applying new coatings on top, but you are only buying time. Hopefully, it is enough time before you are off to something else.

10-30-2004, 02:19 PM	#1 (permalink)
ismusbe Upright Location: NYC	Keeping My Driveway Crack Free Hey there, my driveway was paved about 10 years ago and the weather and wear have broken the pavement in several places and I've decided to have another two inches put down and sealed. Any suggestions on how to keep the pavement in tip top shape and as long lasting as possible?

10-31-2004, 08:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
mrdarcy Tilted Location: down the street from Graceland	Asphalt, like everything else, dries out with time. This drying out results in shrinkage. There's no getting around it. This shrinkage then, eventually results in cracks. These will either be tiny cracks spread all over, or large cracks concentrated where there is stress such as the ground shifting or heavy loads causing the surface to shift. Or a mixture of both. If you live in an area that is prone to heavy freezes, water that seeps into tiny cracks will freeze, expand, and make the cracks bigger. Also, heavy traffic or heavy weight will cause the asphalt to shift, creating stress points that will crack. The best medicine is an occasional top coating that seeps into the tiny cracks to prevent them from becoming bigger cracks. Be careful not to trap water in cracks. I have seen water trapped in cracks turn to steam and blow holes in patches as it escapes. If you get a bigger crack, such as stress crack or ground shift, fill it at once with a latex crack filler and then apply a top coat. Unfortunately, asphalt is much like painting a house. You can keep applying new coatings on top, but you are only buying time. Hopefully, it is enough time before you are off to something else. __________________ [Insert pithy comment here]