3 Factors That Affect The Lifespan Of Your Asphalt Driveway An asphalt driveway lasts for many years when it is installed properly and maintained to repair cracks and holes. The dark color of asphalt is an attractive addition to your property, especially when you seal the surface every few years to maintain the color. Here are some important aspects of installing a new asphalt driveway that ensures your driveway will have a long life and resist damage. The Subgrade Must Be Properly Prepared And Compacted The asphalt is applied on top of the subgrade, so this part of the driveway has to be stable. If the soil is too soft, it can shift and cause cracks to develop in the asphalt. The base has to be cleared and compacted first. Then, the area is checked for areas of loose or soft soil. If any are found, the soft areas must be filled in until the base is sturdy. Once that's done, a new layer is added to the …show more content…
This might be a mound of soil or aggregate. You might even install a decorative border of beams or tiles. This helps hold the sides of the driveway stable so the sides don't crumble. A border also reduces the risk of cars driving along the edge of the driveway and weakening the sides to cause damage. Edging can be mostly invisible in the case of a soil mound, or you can make it decorative to enhance the landscape of your yard. Proper Drainage Is Vitally Important Before your driveway is installed, the contractor will come up with a plan that includes proper drainage. You don't want water to puddle on the driveway. Rain should roll to the ends of the driveway or off to the sides so it can drain away. Standing water leads to cracks and potholes and it can even cause damage to the base if it leaks through to the soil. Therefore, properly sloping the driveway is one of the most important things your contractor can do to ensure the asphalt has a long
We know how important it is for a brick and mortar business to have a functional and safe parking area for their customers. Neglecting cracks or potholes will cause them to grow rapidly, possibly doing damage to a customer's vehicle. Fixing them quickly is an economical way to enhance the appearance and prolong the life of your parking lot or driveway.
Curbs, sidewalks, parking lots, wheelchair ramps and other ADA upgrades, loading ramps, walkways and driveways are some of the areas that often need concrete work performed.
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The ground can be terraced to accommodate the pavers shape and size if your yard is on an incline. This feature makes the pavers ideal for building highly functional pathways.
Stay Off Your Driveway: The key is to stay off your driveway for a couple of days after the asphalt has been applied. You should not walk on your driveway nor should you allow anyone else to walk on your driveway. You should also keep all your vehicles off your driveway as well. This will allow your asphalt time to dry and settle.
As you can imagine, this is the most expensive option. The contractor has to break up the old asphalt and haul it off, which adds to the expense. This option is usually necessary when there is damage to the bed underneath the asphalt. If the soil has shifted, cracks will keep coming back until the bed is built back up. You may not realize it, but your driveway is a lot more than just the layer of asphalt you drive on. There is a bed of compacted soil and aggregate underneath it that has to bear the weight of your vehicles. If problems arise with the soil due to age or erosion, your contractor will probably suggest tearing out the asphalt and putting in a new driveway.
The first step is to clean your entire driveway and inspect it for damage as you go. The easiest way to get the asphalt clean is to use a pressure washer to drive out weeds
Cracks aren't usually a big problem, but they should be filled to keep water out of the asphalt and base of the lot. You can keep the lot in good condition by having cracks repaired on a regular basis rather than waiting until they get big or turn into potholes. Cracks can be filled in with paving machinery when a new layer of asphalt is put on. They must be filled before a sealcoat is applied too, or they will just show through the new coating.
Most cities and towns have rules regarding the minimum slope of their roads. If the slope of a road is too high to meet city standards, road workers use a method called undercutting. This is used to lower the slope of the road. They also need to know the area around them quite well. For roads, slope distance is measured from the edge of soil disturbance.
Have any breaks in the pavement repaired quickly. Cracks, deep cuts and potholes can let water drain beneath the pavement and erode the foundation. Once the foundation has become eroded and unstable, the pavement loses its ability to flex under load and extensive cracking can occur.
Alligator cracks in your asphalt driveway look similar to the scales on an alligator or like a spider web on your driveway. These cracks are not very deep, but they are long and widespread across your concrete. One crack is generally connected to another crack, hence the term alligator crack or spider web crack. These cracks are common on asphalt driveways and are easy to fix if you have the right supplies.
Asphalt driveways need to undergo a sealcoating process on a regular basis in order to ensure that water doesn't get in the cracks and ruin the foundation of your driveway. If your asphalt driveway is starting to crack, you need to sealcoat it before winter hits. Here is what you are going to need to do to sealcoat your driveway yourself.
The purpose of asphalt is to bind the aggregate together and keep it from washing away in the rain. It has an elastic quality that allows it to expand and contract with the weather. This places a lot of stress on the asphalt layer of your driveway, and the sealcoat offers some relief from this stress. By protecting the asphalt layer, the sealcoat helps prolong the life of your driveway.
The slope conditions worsen more while doing maintenance works. The slide might grow bigger after signing contracts.
tires and the road surface. A vehicle may skid forward in a straight line or it may