It’s essential to regularly maintain your asphalt driveway if you want to ensure that it stays in good condition for as long as possible. Asphalt is a material that might start to collapse or fracture over time without the proper maintenance. If you have a driveway that is made from asphalt at your home, then knowing how to keep it well-maintained can help to prolong its lifespan. Along with this, properly maintaining your asphalt driveway can help you save money over time as you will avoid repair costs. Keep reading to find out more about some of the main things that you can do on a regular basis to keep your asphalt driveway in better condition.
Why Does an Asphalt Driveway Need Maintenance?
Your asphalt driveway needs to be regularly maintained to keep the material in good condition and ensure that it lasts for a long time. Dirt and debris gathering on the surface can lead to potholes and cracks, which will destroy your driveway, not only making it look awful but also potentially being dangerous for you and your family. Maintenance is also important to deal with moisture, which destroys asphalt more than any other problem. When your driveway is cracked, this allows water from the rain to penetrate the asphalt and destroy the base, causing further damage to the driveway.
Good maintenance will keep your asphalt driveway looking great, preserve the structural integrity of the material, and help you avoid damage to your car if you are not driving over potholes and cracks each day.
Regular Inspections
It is a good idea to carry out a routine visual inspection of your asphalt driveway when it comes to keeping it well-maintained. This is something that you can easily do yourself by simply walking out and taking a look at the driveway for any signs of wear and tear. Or, if you prefer to, you can have a professional come and look at the driveway if you want to make sure that there are no signs of damage you are missing. Look out for any issues that might get better over time, like potholes beginning to form or cracks in the asphalt.
Fill and Repair Cracks
You can look for driveway repair near me if you need to have cracks in your asphalt driveway filled and repaired. Any cracks that you find should be filled and repaired as soon as possible. This is because any cracks that are simply left will only worsen over time. Holes and cracks in the asphalt are something that you may not always be able to avoid, especially if your asphalt driveway gets a lot of heavy use from cars at home. So, it’s important to be on the lookout for cracks, be ready for them and make sure that they are repaired at the earliest convenience. Not only do they look unsightly, but cracks in your asphalt driveway can also become a trip hazard if they get too large.
Seal the Driveway
Sealcoating for asphalt will provide a nice aesthetic for your driveway and more protection against damage. Sealcoating will leave your asphalt driveway looking great, while strengthening and protecting the structural integrity of the materials for longer. It is a unique, protective layer that reduces that impact that cars and the elements have on the surface, prolonging its lifetime.
Keep it Clean
Keeping your asphalt driveway clean is an important part of maintaining it. You should clean it on a regular basis to ensure that chemicals and other impurities on the surface are not causing it to deteriorate. Clean up any spots that you find on the surface as soon as possible using a hosepipe or pressure washer or book a professional pressure washing service to get this job done for you.
To clean your asphalt driveway, you can use plain water, or an outdoor cleaning fluid that is suitable for asphalt if you need to get rid of more stubborn marks and stains.
Prevent Leaks on the Driveway
Leaks of water and gasoline from your house or vehicle onto the driveway may lead to faster deterioration of the asphalt. It’s important to make sure that any oil and gasoline leaks on your driveway are kept to a minimum – good car maintenance isn’t just important to keep your vehicle in good condition, but it can also contribute to better driveway maintenance too. Make sure that any leaks that you do find are cleaned up as quickly as possible.
Keep it Dry
Over time, especially during the colder seasons of the year, water from the rain and snow might accumulate on your asphalt driveway and cause the material to deteriorate faster. Because of this, there needs to be an effective drainage system in place for your driveway. The drainage system should encourage the water to run away from the driveway and ideally underground through a grid or pipe. This will keep the driveway as dry as possible and avoid it getting waterlogged, which over time will slowly destroy and weaken the surface.
Avoid Using the Driveway in Hot Weather
When the temperature is very hot, it’s best to avoid parking your car on your asphalt driveway in order to ensure that it stays in good condition. This is because the asphalt expands and contracts when the temperature changes. When the temperature increases, the weight from your car can make it more likely that potholes and cracks will form in the asphalt.
How Long Do Asphalt Driveways Last?
An asphalt driveway can last for a very long time depending on the quality of the installation and the materials. In fact, your driveway can last up to twenty years or even longer as long as it is installed well and regularly maintained and cared for. When done well and maintained properly, an asphalt driveway can feel and perform like a concrete driveway.
An asphalt driveway can be an ideal addition to your home, but it’s important to know how to maintain it to keep it in good condition for as long as possible.
