Options For Improving The Appearance Of Your Asphalt Driveway
If your driveway is showing its age with cracks, crumbles, and fading, you may be able to restore its appearance without having to put in a whole new driveway. It depends on the extent of the damage and whether the base layer is still structurally sound. If all you need is cosmetic repair, then you should look into sealcoating or overlaying. Here's the difference between the two.
Sealcoating
If your driveway only has a few thin cracks, small potholes, and crumbles, then sealcoating is probably your best bet. Sealcoating doesn't repair the damaged areas of your driveway though. You have to fill in the potholes first and seal all the cracks. Once repairs are finished, your driveway may look worse than before because the patch material is dark and visible against your faded driveway. That's where sealcoating comes in. It is applied to the asphalt like paint. It restores the surface to an even black color, and makes your driveway look like new.
Sealcoating also protects the asphalt. It acts as a barrier that keeps rain from seeping into the base layer and causing structural damage. It also protects your driveway from fading and deterioration from UV …show more content…
If your driveway is near the end of its life and you want to put off putting in a new driveway as long as possible then overlaying it with a new layer of asphalt may help. The new thin layer asphalt is applied with a paving machine right over your old driveway after the surface has been prepped. The surface of the driveway will look like new, but big cracks and problems with the base may be noticeable again in a couple of years. Sometimes adding a new layer of asphalt will extend the life of your driveway for several years. If that's the case, you may want to consider applying sealcoating to the new surface every few years, so your driveway will last as long as
If your driveway is showing its age with cracks, crumbles, and fading, you may be able to restore its appearance without having to put in a whole new driveway. It depends on the extent of the damage and whether the base layer is still structurally sound. If all you need is cosmetic repair, then you should look into sealcoating or overlaying. Here's the difference between the two.
Sealcoating
If your driveway only has a few thin cracks, small potholes, and crumbles, then sealcoating is probably your best bet. Sealcoating doesn't repair the damaged areas of your driveway though. You have to fill in the potholes first and seal all the cracks. Once repairs are finished, your driveway may look worse than before because the patch material is dark and visible against your faded driveway. That's where sealcoating comes in. It is applied to the asphalt like paint. It restores the surface to an even black color, and makes your driveway look like new.
Sealcoating also protects the asphalt. It acts as a barrier that keeps rain from seeping into the base layer and causing structural damage. It also protects your driveway from fading and deterioration from UV …show more content…
If your driveway is near the end of its life and you want to put off putting in a new driveway as long as possible then overlaying it with a new layer of asphalt may help. The new thin layer asphalt is applied with a paving machine right over your old driveway after the surface has been prepped. The surface of the driveway will look like new, but big cracks and problems with the base may be noticeable again in a couple of years. Sometimes adding a new layer of asphalt will extend the life of your driveway for several years. If that's the case, you may want to consider applying sealcoating to the new surface every few years, so your driveway will last as long as