Creating A Functional Home

If your asphalt home's driveway is starting to show signs of damage such as cracking, there is a way to fix it. It will not require a professional to do it either, as it only takes a few basic tools and a couple hours of your time. Here is how to do it on your own.

Gathering Tools And Materials

To get started, you will need to gather the following tools and materials. Anything that you do not have can be purchased at a local home improvement store.

• Putty knife
• Caulking gun
• Gravel
• Blacktop or asphalt filler
• Chisel
• Hammer
• Broom

Preparing The Crack

You will need to smooth out and clean the damaged area before it can be repaired. Start by using your chisel and hammer to remove any asphalt that is broken or chipped. In order to create a good seal, you will need to get rid of as many rough edges as possible.

Use your broom to sweep out the inside of the crack, getting rid of as much gravel and dirt as you can. It also helps to spray the inside of the crack with a hose to clean out any small pieces of dirt that may still be stuck inside it. This is a good method to use to clean the crack if you have time, as the crack needs to be completely dry before moving on.

Repairing Small Cracks

Cracks that are less than a half inch wide are considered small cracks. They can be fixed by filling them with the asphalt or blacktop filler. Simply put the filler into the crack using your caulking gun, and then smooth out the filler using your putty knife.

It will take approximately 24 hours for the filler to dry, after which it is safe to drive your car on.

Repairing Large Cracks

Anything bigger than half an inch is a large crack, and requires some extra steps to repair it. If the crack is deeper than two inches, you can fill the bottom of the crack with gravel to give it a solid base. Fill the crack with gravel until it is two inches below the surface, wet the gravel with a garden hose, and tamper it down as much as possible.

You can then fill in the remainder of the crack using asphalt or blacktop filler. Keep in mind that bigger cracks will require much more drying time, with some taking as long as a week until you can drive over them.

For more information, or if you would like professional assistance, contact Superior Asphalt Inc. or a similar company.