Asphalt driveway repair.....

[Volfandt]

I've got several bad spots where the asphalt has busted and these are pretty big spots. Too big for a cold patch type filler. I've tried those cold patch fillers and have never been happy with them.

I'm just in the "cypher'n" stage now and thought I'd elicit suggestions from the board.

I've isolated most of the bad spots by cutting them out w/a concrete/masonary blade on a circular saw so they aren't growing but they are an eyesore.

The options as I see it are:
1) recover with a light coat of asphalt. (I question the longevity of this).

2)square up the spots then just have them filled in w/ hot asphalt. (Shame the cost is up there to get hot asphalt and associated eqt on site).

3)tear the effected area out down to the gravel and have it resurfaced.
The 2 effected area's are approx 11' x 8' (to patch) or 11' x 40' to resurface and several 2' x 3' spots in a 20' x 30' area. (probably more cost effective in the big picture and I can tear it out w/my BX23)

The rest of the driveway is in good shape (12' x 200') but it'll need resealing before summer.

I've kept it sealed over the years but the damage was primarily done when I had to have about 71 yards of dirt hauled in to fill in a pool and some other holes. The asphalt didn't hold up very well in some spots.....

Suggestions?

 

[Volfandt]

Wow, lots of looks but no opinions......

Asphalt must not be an interesting subject round here.....

 

[scott_vt]

Wow, lots of looks but no opinions......

Asphalt must not be an interesting subject round here.....

Mornin Volfandt,
I have the same problem on my Ct driveway. Its about 22 years old and I have some bad cracks that look like trouble down the road. The driveway is about 150 ft long 10ft wide until you get withinn 30ft of the front of the garage, then it widens out to about 30 ft wide. One of my neighbors just had his driveway sealed and hot tarred for about $800. That sounds high to me but when you think how much it would cost to rip up the old driveway and reinstall new blacktop then I guess its not so bad

I will probablly go this route this coming year.

BTW, my Vt driveway is 800 ft long, I guess its gonna stay as a dirt drive for many years to come !

 

[PBinWA]

We had some spots filled on our private road and I watched them do it. They had the Asphalt in the back of a trailer so I assume it was cold but it may have been hot when they picked it up. They had a rented roller. They just shovelled out the stuff and then rolled it. It was August so the weather was good. We got quite a few spots filled with these "skim patches" for $1000.

We then had the road slurry sealed.

My suggestion is to just call around and see what people suggest.

You might call an Asphalt company and see what sort of stuff you can get.

My take from talking to all the people when I was getting quotes for the work was that you just keep adding layers unless the road is in some form of chronic state where skim patches don't work. The alternatives are going to be expensive and time consuming.

I'm no expert but you did seem to be fishing for input!

 

[Dusty]

Find a asphalt installation contractor that has a inferred machine. When they fill the holes with material, they will then roll it out smooth. Then, the next day, they will come to the site with a machine that has a large propane heated inferred pan and place it over the patch and the surrounding driveway. Once it is hot, they will rake out the seams and re roll the area. Once this is done, the old and the new will be permanently bonded and you won't even be able to find the seams. This method is expensive, but it does work well and restores the driveway to looking like it was never patched.
Driveway coatings vary, so be careful who you pick to do this work. Some are nothing more than some diesel fuel and tar mixed to give it a black look, but don't add any protection. Look for a company that does large commercial lot sealing. Those are the people that use the real thing. Stay away from those that go house to house looking for work. I paid 15 cents a square foot last summer, but it only needs to be done every few years and it truly seals the surface. This past week, asphalt was at $70 a ton in Worcester MA. !

 

[Egon]

Lovely asphalt. Is the area so placed it could be replaced with concrete pavers?

Otherwise I'd suggest remove the old and get a contractor to replace with a hot mix. For very small patches you can get cold mix, place, level and compact with a plate vibrator by yourself but the patches will not blend in.

Working either hot or cold asphalt is just plain hard work. There are time limits with the hot mix. And laying an even mat with hand tools just will not work well. The tractor can work for small patches but any larger and you will not like the results.

The work is usually very dirty and the asphalt will migrate to any and every piece of upholstery in the house and also the carpet.

 

[mrClen3]

we're having some problems as yours, but can't you find a asphalt contractor near by?

 

[Paddy]

Volfant,

In my area there is a stone crusher. They also sell hot asphalt. I do believe they shut down in winter though. But any way, find your local source and call to see if you can buy 1 ton. tamping tools for good conpaction. They a cast iron 12" x12" flat head.

You will need a total metal trailer. I'd fear a wood one would ignite.

Side note; Could you patch with concrete and seal over it to "hide"?

 

[Egon]

I'd fear a wood one would ignite.

Not to worry. There are lots of hydrocarbons in the mix.

 

[BTDT]

Check with county/state and see if they are doing repairs on roads near you. Sometimes they order too much, and sometimes what they order doesn't meet specs, so they need a place to dump it. You might get lucky.