Asphalt Paving & Concrete

What do you need to do?
An Addition? Resurface? Replace? Repair?  Here’s how you know….

• Addition:  If you need to add to a concrete patio or widen your driveway with asphalt; we can do both.  We specialize in enhancing your space.
   
  
• Remove and replace: Asphalt that is extensively deteriorated or damaged usually requires a complete removal and replacement. The existing driveway is removed and a new driveway is placed per the required specifications in the bid proposal. Rebuilding from the ground up provides the most durable, long lasting result.
   
  
• Resurfacing (Overlay): Stressed or broken areas are repaired and low areas are leveled. A new surface mix asphalt is then installed over the existing asphalt (approx 1-1/2 to 2”depth) and compacted to form a uniform surface. Resurfacing will raise the height of your driveway slightly.
   
  
• Repair: Repair is performed to correct isolated problems on the driveway. Potholes, low spots, sinking at the garage, alligator or spider web cracking (numerous cracks that run together) are all candidates for repair.
  

Asphalt Driveway Maintenance  (After Paving- Instructions)

Since the liquid asphalt in blacktop needs time to harden and cure it usually requires 6-12 months to fully cure. Your driveway will remain soft and pliable until then. You may walk on your new driveway immediately, but keep automobile traffic off it for at least 3 full days and longer in hotter temperatures. Even after the blacktop has cured, do not expect it to be as hard as concrete.

Your New Blacktop will soften and harden as temperatures rise and fall. Watering down your driveway with a hose on hot days will cool and temporarily harden the blacktop. This is helpful but not mandatory. If soapsuds should appear do not be alarmed. This is a reaction between the diesel fuel found in blacktop and a high chlorine content found in some city water. Although every effort is made to avoid puddles in your driveway, some small ones are inevitable depending on the natural slope and drainage of your ground.

DO’S AND DON’TS

• During the first 6-12 months while your driveway is curing don’t park in the same spot every time.
• Do not turn your steering wheel back and forth when your car is not moving.
• Automobiles starting out too fast, pulling in too quickly can scar blacktop; leaving tire marks.
• Avoid using jack stands or car ramps unless a piece of plywood is placed under them to help distribute the weight.
• Excessive weight from large heavy vehicles can depress your new blacktop.
• Keep oil trucks, concrete trucks and any other heavy trucks off your new driveway.
• When storing campers for long periods of time, place a piece of plywood under the tongue jack and also under the tires.
• Lawn chairs, bicycle and motorcycle kickstands exert weight on concentrated areas and will create holes and depressions in your new driveway. Especially watch out for those pointy high heels during the warm months when your driveway is new.
• Avoid driving on the edges since they will crack and crumble over time. The edges are the weakest part of you driveway due to the lack of side support. We suggest building up the sides of your driveway with topsoil. This will support the edges and enhance the appearance after the grass has grown in.
• Your driveway may look smoother in some areas than in others because of the makeup of blacktop. Blacktop has various sizes of stone, sand, liquid asphalt, and other ingredients that cause a varied texture of the surface. Also, blacktop areas that have been raked and spread with hand tools may appear different in texture from those spread by a machine.
• Avoid gasoline, oil anti-freeze, power steering and transmission fluid spills and leaks. These will dilute the liquid asphalt in your blacktop. Any hole left by these spills should be filled with cold patch. Any hairline cracks that may have developed over the winter due to the contraction and expansion of the ground should be filled with crack filler.

To preserve the life of your new driveway, it is advisable to seal coat it after it has been paved. The best time to seal is 3-12 months after it has been paved, and every 2-3 years thereafter.

Please contact our office to make a seal coating appointment.  See our Sealcoat page for more details.