Asphalt is a popular choice for paving your driveway. It’s an affordable, efficient, and long-lasting material. The EPA also recommends asphalt paving for your driveway due to its eco-friendly characteristics.
However, you’ll need to maintain your asphalt driveway to keep it looking great year-round. With the right maintenance, your asphalt driveway will last a lifetime. Here are five tips to keeping your asphalt driveway looking brand new.
1. Start with Sweeping Your Asphalt Driveway
Start your maintenance duties by sweeping your driveway. Clear the debris and prepare the surface for power washing. Use a stiff-bristle boom and start at the top of the driveway, working your way down to the street.
2. Power Wash Your Asphalt Driveway
After you finish sweeping, it’s time to power wash the driveway. Power washing eliminates all the mineral and oil deposits in your driveway, returning the asphalt to its original condition. If you have a porous asphalt driveway, the power wash helps unblock any holes filled with organic or inorganic materials.
If you use sand or salt on your drive during the winter, the particles may block the asphalt pores, reducing the drainage effect. If you reside in a humid area of the United States, mold and moss may also block your asphalt, requiring power washing to free the blockage.
3. Inspect Your Asphalt Driveway After Heavy Storms
After a heavy thunderstorm, check your driveway for signs of ponding. If water is pooling, you’re dealing with a blockage that needs clearing. Reduce the potential for blockages by limiting the use of bushes and deciduous trees along the border of your driveway.
Installing berms on the driveway’s perimeter provides a permeable border allowing for adequate run-off, reducing blockages.
4. Repair Any Driveway Damage
While asphalt is a durable and long-lasting material for paving your driveway, it’s not indestructible. Small surface cracks are easy to miss unless you inspect your driveway every few weeks. A crack might start as minor surface damage and expand under the sun’s natural cooling and heating effect.
If water gets through the cracks, penetrating the sublayer, it causes sinkholes under the surface. Filling cracks with filler helps to stop .the erosion.
5. Sealcoat The Asphalt
If you want to waterproof your driveway, apply a seal coat layer to the surface. This material provides a glossy look to the asphalt, filling in all the cracks and small crevices in the material.
You also seal the surface, preventing any moisture from penetrating the sublayer.