5 Easy Steps To Sealing Your Asphalt Driveway - Do It Yourself To Maintain The Value Of Your Home
Asphalt is a superb product for the driveway of your home. Essentially it lasts for several years and it is generally easy to maintain. But we do not live in a perfect world and even the highest quality asphalt suffers under attack from the sun, wind, rain and freezing weather.
After your asphalt driveway gets to be a couple of years old you start to discover the effects of this deterioration. Small holes and cracks will appear. Water seeps in to these where it freezes over the winter extending and generating bigger cracks and holes. If you do not correct these problems it doesn't take many more years before pieces begin to break off from the corners and sides. At this point it is beyond repair so you either have got a large expense staring you in the face or, if you're considering selling your house, have seriously decreased it's selling value in the eyes of potential buyers.
Most people do not realize how simple it can be to accomplish minor fixes to your driveway and reseal it to refresh the surface and keep water out. It is really an easy weekend project. Listed here are the tools you will need:
* Medium to Large Push Broom or Large Foam Mop
* Garden hose and nozzle (or to make things really easy, a power washer)
* Small trowel or putty knife.
* Small shovel (or grass edger)
* Gloves and rags to protect your hands and for cleanup.
As you can see, you already possess all the tools you'll need in your garage. Now you need your sealing and fixing materials. You can order these products online or purchase them at the nearest Home Depot or Lowes. You will need:
* Asphalt Driveway Sealer (usually comes in five gallon pails which will cover approximately 500 sq ft). Determine the total square footage of your driveway and purchase enough to cover. If it has been many years since your driveway has been sealed, get a little extra because the older, drier asphalt will take in more than normal.
* Asphalt Driveway Crack and Hole Filler (typically comes in three pound containers). Find the amount you need depending on the quantity of cracks and holes you have to repair.
* Sand to fill deep holes or cracks if you have them.
Here's how to get the task done. It isn't hard, doesn't take hours and hours, and by going step by step you'll be done in almost no time.
1. Clean off all the dirt, grass or weeds which are on the driveway. If you have a lot of grass or weeds growing within the cracks you may want to spray these with a weed and grass killer a week or two in advance which will make it simpler to get them cleaned out. Use a trowel or putty knife to dig out as much of the dirt and debris as possible from any cracks or holes. Make use of your lawn edger or a shovel or spade to go down the edges of the driveway and cut away any grass or dirt. Be sure you have clean edges along the entire length and that all dirt and debris is removed in the cracks and holes. Then use your broom to sweep the driveway as clean as possible.
2. Wash the driveway off completely. If you have access to a power washer this is an ideal way of washing the surface. Use it to wash the surface completely and to blow out any dirt you are able to from the cracks and holes. If you use a garden hose, attach a nozzle to the end to give you the highest pressure possible. By doing a good job of cleaning now, you could possibly save yourself a few years before you need to reseal again because you are doing an excellent job now.
3. Allow the driveway dry completely and check for contaminants. As it's drying watch for spots or areas that stand out or appear dull from oil or any other contaminants which have spilled on the driveway. Get a bucket with water and mix with a cleaner such as 409. Wash these spots off by scrubbing with your broom or a brush. You probably won't manage to get rid of the foreign material completely, but the cleaner can help make a better surface for the sealing compound to adhere to. Rinse these locations off completely after you finish cleaning them.
4. Fill any cracks or holes with Asphalt Filler. When the holes or cracks are deep, prep them by using sand to fill them nearly to the top. Then use your hose to wet these down completely to let them settle leaving them approx 1/2" deep. You may want to do this two or three times, waiting a couple of hours in between each soaking. Allow the driveway to dry completely before using the crack filler. Apply the filler according to the directions on the container, but it is important to make sure you get it deeply into any cracks or holes and be sure you smooth the top for a nice finished look. Wait for the filler to dry and re-apply an additional coating if cracks reappear.
5. Apply the driveway sealer. Now that you have all of the difficult preparatory work completed, this will likely appear to be the easy part. The perfect situation would be to pick a warm cloudy day. This will allow the sealer to flow on smoothly without drying too quickly. Pour a moderate quantity of sealer onto the driveway and distribute it out evenly with your broom or foam mop. When you have a workable area done, pour out more and keep going. You should follow the directions on the container for the product you are using, but once you get started you'll get an idea for how much sealer you need to get a nice even coat. (If it has been many years since your driveway has been sealed you might want to apply two coats.) Rope off the driveway to ensure no one walks or drives onto it until it's totally dry.
And that's all there is to giving yourself a brand new looking beautiful driveway! This is actually one job that really provides you with a good feeling of well being and payback since you see the results of your work every time you come home and drive into the garage. Put a grin on your face and add value to your home by taking these simple steps to take care of your driveway.
After your asphalt driveway gets to be a couple of years old you start to discover the effects of this deterioration. Small holes and cracks will appear. Water seeps in to these where it freezes over the winter extending and generating bigger cracks and holes. If you do not correct these problems it doesn't take many more years before pieces begin to break off from the corners and sides. At this point it is beyond repair so you either have got a large expense staring you in the face or, if you're considering selling your house, have seriously decreased it's selling value in the eyes of potential buyers.
Most people do not realize how simple it can be to accomplish minor fixes to your driveway and reseal it to refresh the surface and keep water out. It is really an easy weekend project. Listed here are the tools you will need:
* Medium to Large Push Broom or Large Foam Mop
* Garden hose and nozzle (or to make things really easy, a power washer)
* Small trowel or putty knife.
* Small shovel (or grass edger)
* Gloves and rags to protect your hands and for cleanup.
As you can see, you already possess all the tools you'll need in your garage. Now you need your sealing and fixing materials. You can order these products online or purchase them at the nearest Home Depot or Lowes. You will need:
* Asphalt Driveway Sealer (usually comes in five gallon pails which will cover approximately 500 sq ft). Determine the total square footage of your driveway and purchase enough to cover. If it has been many years since your driveway has been sealed, get a little extra because the older, drier asphalt will take in more than normal.
* Asphalt Driveway Crack and Hole Filler (typically comes in three pound containers). Find the amount you need depending on the quantity of cracks and holes you have to repair.
* Sand to fill deep holes or cracks if you have them.
Here's how to get the task done. It isn't hard, doesn't take hours and hours, and by going step by step you'll be done in almost no time.
1. Clean off all the dirt, grass or weeds which are on the driveway. If you have a lot of grass or weeds growing within the cracks you may want to spray these with a weed and grass killer a week or two in advance which will make it simpler to get them cleaned out. Use a trowel or putty knife to dig out as much of the dirt and debris as possible from any cracks or holes. Make use of your lawn edger or a shovel or spade to go down the edges of the driveway and cut away any grass or dirt. Be sure you have clean edges along the entire length and that all dirt and debris is removed in the cracks and holes. Then use your broom to sweep the driveway as clean as possible.
2. Wash the driveway off completely. If you have access to a power washer this is an ideal way of washing the surface. Use it to wash the surface completely and to blow out any dirt you are able to from the cracks and holes. If you use a garden hose, attach a nozzle to the end to give you the highest pressure possible. By doing a good job of cleaning now, you could possibly save yourself a few years before you need to reseal again because you are doing an excellent job now.
3. Allow the driveway dry completely and check for contaminants. As it's drying watch for spots or areas that stand out or appear dull from oil or any other contaminants which have spilled on the driveway. Get a bucket with water and mix with a cleaner such as 409. Wash these spots off by scrubbing with your broom or a brush. You probably won't manage to get rid of the foreign material completely, but the cleaner can help make a better surface for the sealing compound to adhere to. Rinse these locations off completely after you finish cleaning them.
4. Fill any cracks or holes with Asphalt Filler. When the holes or cracks are deep, prep them by using sand to fill them nearly to the top. Then use your hose to wet these down completely to let them settle leaving them approx 1/2" deep. You may want to do this two or three times, waiting a couple of hours in between each soaking. Allow the driveway to dry completely before using the crack filler. Apply the filler according to the directions on the container, but it is important to make sure you get it deeply into any cracks or holes and be sure you smooth the top for a nice finished look. Wait for the filler to dry and re-apply an additional coating if cracks reappear.
5. Apply the driveway sealer. Now that you have all of the difficult preparatory work completed, this will likely appear to be the easy part. The perfect situation would be to pick a warm cloudy day. This will allow the sealer to flow on smoothly without drying too quickly. Pour a moderate quantity of sealer onto the driveway and distribute it out evenly with your broom or foam mop. When you have a workable area done, pour out more and keep going. You should follow the directions on the container for the product you are using, but once you get started you'll get an idea for how much sealer you need to get a nice even coat. (If it has been many years since your driveway has been sealed you might want to apply two coats.) Rope off the driveway to ensure no one walks or drives onto it until it's totally dry.
And that's all there is to giving yourself a brand new looking beautiful driveway! This is actually one job that really provides you with a good feeling of well being and payback since you see the results of your work every time you come home and drive into the garage. Put a grin on your face and add value to your home by taking these simple steps to take care of your driveway.