Are There Cracks Starting to Appear in Your Driveway?
Cracks in driveways are common, more so in areas that suffer from harsh winters. Concrete and asphalt driveways are both of the most common driveways which need repairs, and how cracks are repaired, greatly depends on the kind of material used. Before any driveway crack repair can be done, depending on what material is used, it first needs to be prepped and cleaned thoroughly. Asphalt driveways can be repaired with the aid of a crack filler or asphalt cold patches. And cracks in concrete driveways can be repaired with either textured caulk or a concrete patching compound.
Preparation will always be important when repairing cracks in driveways. Any loose pieces of material will need to be removed using a chisel and hammer on the more stubborn pieces. A wire brush will then be used to smooth out any rough edges. Cracks which are 0.5 inches across need to be made wider, again with the aid of a chisel and hammer. The recommended width to widened these cracks is 1 inch.
Most experts like New Village Masonry & Construction recommend larger cracks are undercut. Meaning, the bottom part of the crack needs to be chiseled and scraped out in order to make it wider than the edges of the top of it. Doing this ensures the patch stays in place once it has dried. Cleaning will be the next step, and driveways must first be swept to remove loose dust, dirt, and other such debris. Cracks can be cleared using a hose or air compressor.
Smaller cracks are usually repaired using some textured caulk. This works best when applied to a dry surface. When a crack is more than 3/8 of an inch deep, we recommend filling it with some sand until it reaches this depth. Using a caulking gun, the caulk should be used to slightly fill the crack, after which it can be smoothed out so it is even with the surface. We hope that you found our driveway crack repair blog useful, for more information on our services in the Hillsboro, OR area, please call us today at (503) 339-8482.