What You'll Learn
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Repairing Asphalt
As with concrete, clean cracks of plants and debris, hose them clean and spray them with weed killer. Then do your patching when temperatures are at least 60°F so the repair material will cure. Fill 1/2-in. cracks with sand to within 1/4 in. of the surface, then add an asphalt filler, such as Quikrete's Blacktop Repair ($2 a quart) or UGL's Driveway Crack Filler ($3 a tube). An alternative is Dalton's Pli-Stix, a ropelike crack and joint sealer you melt in place with a torch.
For holes 1 to 2 in. wide, use Dalton's Tamp & Set Patch ($9 for 3 1/2 gal.) or Trowel & Spread Patch ($6 per gallon). You can also mix sand and blacktop sealer until stiff and apply it with a trowel. Wear gloves and use mineral spirits for cleanup. For deeper holes, pour in gravel to within 4 in. of the surface, then trowel in Dalton's Super Patch ($7 per gallon). Or, shovel in cold-patch asphalt in 1-in. layers, packing each firmly as you go with the end of a 4X4 or the head of sledgehammer.
Finish by sealing your asphalt driveway after patching and every other year thereafter. A 5-gal. pail of sealer ($9 to $16) will cover around 300 sq. ft.
As with concrete, clean cracks of plants and debris, hose them clean and spray them with weed killer. Then do your patching when temperatures are at least 60°F so the repair material will cure. Fill 1/2-in. cracks with sand to within 1/4 in. of the surface, then add an asphalt filler, such as Quikrete's Blacktop Repair ($2 a quart) or UGL's Driveway Crack Filler ($3 a tube). An alternative is Dalton's Pli-Stix, a ropelike crack and joint sealer you melt in place with a torch.
For holes 1 to 2 in. wide, use Dalton's Tamp & Set Patch ($9 for 3 1/2 gal.) or Trowel & Spread Patch ($6 per gallon). You can also mix sand and blacktop sealer until stiff and apply it with a trowel. Wear gloves and use mineral spirits for cleanup. For deeper holes, pour in gravel to within 4 in. of the surface, then trowel in Dalton's Super Patch ($7 per gallon). Or, shovel in cold-patch asphalt in 1-in. layers, packing each firmly as you go with the end of a 4X4 or the head of sledgehammer.
Finish by sealing your asphalt driveway after patching and every other year thereafter. A 5-gal. pail of sealer ($9 to $16) will cover around 300 sq. ft.
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