2 Mistakes To Avoid When Patching Holes In Your Home's Asphalt Driveway
Your home's driveway may still be in pretty good shape overall. However, there may be some holes in a few spots that you feel are detracting from the beauty and utility of the pavement. Because of this, you may have decided to try your hand at patching them yourself. If so, make sure that you do not make the mistakes below that could adversely affect the finished product of the job.
1. Doing the Work in Less-Than-Ideal Weather Conditions
One mistake that you should avoid when attempting to patch up the holes in your driveway is ignoring the weather forecast for the day you plan on doing the work. If the forecast calls for cool or cold temperatures and any type of precipitation, doing the job on that day will prolong the setup and curing process of the asphalt material.
Ideally, the day you do your patching job should be warm or hot with as much sunshine as possible. If the forecast calls for fog or heavy dew in the morning, make sure you wait until early afternoon to get started to give your driveway and the air time to dry.
You also want to pay attention to the forecast for a couple of days after your planned day. If the next day calls for heavy rains, you may want to delay doing the work, as the excessive moisture will make it take longer for the asphalt to dry and cure.
2. Neglecting to Clear Away All Debris in and Around the Holes
When the warm, dry day arrives when you will start patching the holes in your driveway, there is another mistake that you will want to avoid making. If you leave any debris or loose asphalt in and around the hole, your patch will not take hold and will likely crack and/or crumble.
When you use asphalt to patch a hole, it needs a sturdy, clean base onto which it can hold. If you leave anything loose pieces of asphalt, rocks, sticks, or other debris, the patch is more likely to become damaged and break when you drive over it with your vehicle.
Even if you avoid the above mistakes, if you are not experienced working with asphalt, you may still not get the results you desire. Instead of trying to do the job yourself, consider contacting a paving contractor who offers asphalt patching services to discuss your options for having them do the work for you.
