Driveway Surface Repair

Cracks in your driveway can be unattactive and dangerous.

It is important to keep the surface of your driveway in repair since potholes and cracks can be dangerous and unsightly. They collect moisture and become slippery in freezing weather. The potholes and cracks will worsen progressively over time until it is necessary to hire a professional to overlay the driveway. The driveway must be thoroughly clean and dry before beginning repairs. Also, outdoor temperatures must be at least 60 F for repair materials to set properly. Use safety cones to block the driveway since it should not be driven on for 24 hours after repaired.

Things You'll Need

• Stiff utility broom
• Trowel
• High pressure water hose
• Coarse sand
• Gravel
• Tamping tool
• Long handled broom
• 4 inch paint brush
• Thick rubber gloves
• Asphalt filler
• Asphalt sealer
• Diesel fuel
• Grinder with a masonry blade
• Compressed air gun
• Concrete epoxy
• Caulking gun
• Paint scraper

Instructions

Asphalt Driveway

1. Clean out soil and plant material from cracks using the utility broom and trowel. Then use the high pressure water hose to remove small pieces of leftover debris.

2. Fill cracks that are deeper than 1/4-inch with sand up to 1/4 inch below the driveway's surface, using the trowel.

3. Clean out pot holes with a utility broom and then clean out excess debris with a hose.

4. Fill in potholes with gravel to 1 inch below the driveway's surface. Tamp down gravel with the tamping tool and add more gravel as needed.

5. Clean entire driveway surface with a long-handled broom and hose and then let it dry thoroughly.

6. Patch cracks with asphalt filler using a paintbrush. Wear gloves when handling asphalt filler.

7. Patch potholes with asphalt filler using paintbrush and trowel while wearing gloves. Tamp down until you have tightly filled the hole and the driveway surface is smooth.

8. Apply asphalt sealer to the entire driveway surface using the broom.

9. Clean tools with diesel fuel.

Concrete Driveway

1. Widen cracks in concrete with the grinder to make them at least 3/8 of an inch wide. You will need this space to hold the epoxy.

2. Remove any dirt or debris from cracks or pot holes and then blow them with the compressed air gun to finish the cleaning.

3. Place tube of concrete epoxy in caulking gun. Apply it to the cracks and pot holes until it is filled level with the driveway. Wear rubber gloves.

4. Scrape off the excess epoxy with paint scraper and flatten it until it forms a smooth surface on the driveway.

5. Check back within an hour to see if more epoxy is needed to completely fill the area since the epoxy will settle during this time. Reapply if necessary and smooth it out again with the paint scraper while wearing gloves.

References

• University of Minnesota: Asphalt Surface Repair
• Accurate Building: How To Repair Asphalt Driveway