Our asphalt driveway could be in a bad shape after specific period of time. In this case, some repair works should do the trick. There are methods that we need to consider, such as resurfacing it. A more aggressive method is to rip up the whole driveway and redone everything from scratch. Regardless of what we do, it is important to consult our contractors to get their opinions and eventually cost estimates. Maintenance is always a good medicine, but it couldn’t prevent the progression of time. Driveways don’t remain black and smooth forever. Regardless of our efforts, driveways will be exposed to grease, gasoline, oil and salt. These substances may take their toll on our smooth driveways. Water penetrations and cracking could slowly damage our driveways. It could get worn out and corroded. The condition seems severe enough, we would need a resurfacing job. In general, repairs would be cost effective, if they don’t cover more than 25 percent of the driveway surface. If much of our driveway is affected with cracks, then it is more cost effective to resurface it with hot mix asphalt.
In general, asphalt pavement is brittle and hard. Cracks would develop slowly and overtime. It could start from hairline cracks to bigger one-inch cracks. Eventually, driving on the driveways will be bumpy and our tire will further make the driveway crumblier. In general, freeze and thaw cycles can be quite destructive. If water penetrates the cracks, it could turn to ice during the night. When water turns to ice, it expands and pushes the crack wider. In the spring, we could see that cracks become larger and this result in serious deterioration. If the problem isn’t remedied soon enough, grass and weeds will eventually grow in the cracks during the spring, summer and small.
In this case, we may need to rip out the whole driveway and redo it. If the foundation of the driveway has been damaged by water penetrations and grass, resurfacing will become only a short-term solution. Cracks may emerge again. Often, we need to resurface the driveway several times and the whole area deteriorates too quickly. There could be problems with the driveway’s foundation. Signs of bad foundation are depression and mounds. It means that we need to reconstruct the whole thing from the base. In this case, new driveway should make perfect sense.
If constructed and maintained properly, driveways could last for 20 years or more. In this case, we should avoid things that may cause premature failure and wear. If it is the time to reconstruct the driveway, we should ask the contractors to calculate all the costs. The contract should include the time needed to complete the job and there should be a guarantee about the quality of the driveway. It means that we need to work with a highly reputable contractor. In this case, it is important that the contractor is properly licensed and registered. We should obtain a list of references and properly check them.