Repaving Your Driveway: Why, When, and How

Repaving Your Driveway: Why, When, and How

Your home’s driveway is a focal point of curb appeal, an entryway for guests, and a playground for your children. While upkeep of the driveway can be forgotten in the midst of indoor home repairs like the faulty air conditioning unit or broken garbage disposal, it’s important to repair and resurface your asphalt driveway to keep it in good condition and maintain aesthetics.

Repairs Made Before RePaving. Your driveway most likely receives a great deal of action from car tire, oil spills, and footsteps. Oxidation, cracks, and spills can weaken the asphalt, so it’s vital to repair any soft or damaged patches before repaving. If this step is skipped, the repaved driveway will eventually be overtaken by the old damages again, and you’ll land back in square one.

What If My Driveway is Too Damaged? A severely cracked or rotted driveway may indicate a problem with the base material under the asphalt. The only way to permanently fix this is to remove the existing driveway and replace everything. Ignoring the base issue will make successful repaving virtually impossible as the problem just worsens with time.

What Material Is Used? Hot Mix Asphalt is the best choice for an asphalt driveway because it is durable, smooth, can endure cold temperatures and winter salt, and dries quickly so that you can return to your busy schedule. Some asphalt is also porous to allow better drainage. Even if your existing driveway is concrete, it can be successfully repaved with asphalt.

When Should I Schedule the Paving? It’s best for your driveway to be repaved in the heat since air temperature dictates the cooling time of asphalt. It’s recommended to wait until it’s at least 50 or 60 degrees outside before paving commences.

By choosing an asphalt company with expertise in this area, a repaved driveway will give your home a fresh feel with even better curbside appeal.