Maybe you have a crack in your asphalt driveway, and you want to complete the driveway repair Vancouver. You see weeds all over it, and the driveway is becoming a mess day by day. Now you have to take some steps. Only a few places need to be taken care of, not the whole driveway. So, you can go for the repair option instead of reinstallation of your driveway.
Ways To Repair an Asphalt Driveway
You should do it when you can make your asphalt driveways completely new by repairing a few parts them. But you should take steps before deep holes in your driveway, and it is out of your hand. If you take the initial stages, you can save a lot of money and precious time.
Select The Perfect Asphalt Patching Compound
Whether it is asphalt or concrete repair, both processes are almost similar. But asphalt is a little bit different than concrete. The materials required to repair the asphalt are not very familiar to everyone. So, you have to be very selective in purchasing the products for repairing your asphalt driveway. On the other hand, you will get all the products available in the home improvement shop to repair concrete.
You can fill up a half or two inches wide cracks of a concrete driveway with simple old concrete. Of course, you can buy other products too. But it is not easy to repair the asphalt. You can’t fill up the cracks utilizing hot asphalt. The size of your crack will determine the product you need for repairing the asphalt driveways. You can “crack filler” to fill gaps that are small and less than half an inch. But the cracks that are wider than half inches can apply the “asphalt cold patch.”
These patching compounds will work only in warm temperatures. There are all the necessary instructions on the product label. You will get their exact temperature to use the products. Some crack filler needs a minimum of 55 degrees °F and more than it. In addition, some require a temperature limit from 30 and 100 degrees °F.
Instructions For DIY Repair
You need some instructions for trivial repair issues you want to fix yourself before starting the repair. You can easily handle cracks less than 2 inches and 2 inches wide for the DIY project. But if there are more serious issues, probably those are not your cup of tea. Let the expert handle it. Now let’s see the things you will need for DIY repairing:
Tools Or Equipment
Of course, you can’t handle the repairing process without proper tools. The tools you will need here are:
- Garden hose pipe attached with a pressure washer or a spray
- For more extensive areas, steel temper
- For larger areas, tape or cones
Materials
With the presence of tools, you will need some materials too. They are:
- Sand
- Weed killer
- Asphalt sealant
- Asphalt patching compound
- For small cracks less than half-inch, crack filler
Instructions
Now let’s hear about all the necessary instructions for repairing your asphalt driveway. The essential things you should be careful about are:
Cleaning The Cracks Properly
When there is a crack in the asphalt driveway, you will see that the weeds will overgrow. There will be dust too on the gap. You should pull the weeds with your hand. Also, clean the dust too. You can use the garden hose pipe attached with a pressure washer or a spray to wash the crack properly. Now leave the area to dry. Also, avoid entering any more dust there before starting the repair process.
Use The Weed Killer
Your driveway will be full of weeds before installing asphalt there. The condition will be the same if you leave your driveway for too many days without repairing it. You can prevent it from happening again. Utilize the weed killer there. If you don’t have ideas on how to do it, you should always check the instruction manual you will receive with the weed killer. Read it thoroughly, and you will get ideas on how the weed killer will work.
Fill In the Small Cracks
The crack filler compound alone is enough for cracks less than half inches. You can purchase them in tubes. Just open the tube, press it on the place of the crack, and press or squeeze the plunger. Fill the crack until it reaches the bottom of the damage or a little higher than it. With the help of a towel, smooth it as much as possible.
Fill In the Deep Cracks
If your crack is a little deeper than your shallow surface, you have to fill the one-fourth inch of the surface with sand. Now use the steel tamper to compact the sand to enter into the sand quickly. Keep doing it until the compacted level becomes one-fourth inches.
Apply the Patching Compound
Now is the time to apply the suitable patching compound. It is to pour the compound directly into the cracks. You can carry the product in a bucket or bag and shovel it with a small towel. First, apply a thin layer, and with the help of a steel tamper, tamp it down. Continue doing it till the time the level of the patching compound becomes equal to the level of the surrounding asphalt. Now, finish work after smoothing the patching compound with assistance from the shovel’s back or a towel.
Give Time the Asphalt Repair to Cure
It is essential to let the asphalt driveway cure properly. The longer you will wait, the stronger the asphalt will be. Before driving in the area again, you should give it a few hours or days. A minor crack repair will have no issue. But the more significant crack repairs need to be separated using tape, cones, etc., to warn the people not to run over the driveway.
Finish By Applying a Sealer
A sealer can make your asphalt look more beautiful and durable. So, it is essential to use a good sealer to make your driveway stronger than ever.
Final Words
For any driveway repair Vancouver, you can contact the concrete contractors if the damage to your asphalt driveway is a lot. You will have to go through a lot if you decide to repair the driveway independently. But you can repair small cracks or holes. You have to use the right product and make your effort successful.