The health of your driveway is dependent on a few things: weather conditions, how often it is used, and its age. As a homeowner, it is important for you to know the warning signs that let you know your driveway needs repair or replacement. The guide below will help you decide when it’s time to take action and give your driveway the attention and maintenance it needs:
What Impacts Your Driveway’s Longevity?
It can be a bit pricey installing a driveway for the first time. If you’re going to invest in a home improvement project like this, you want to be sure the job is done right. Your contractor laying a proper foundation is one of the best ways to ensure your driveway will last a long time. However, suitable foundation or not, your driveway will be exposed to wear and tear over years of use, and mother nature can create issues for your driveway’s longevity as well. Rain and snow melts into the smallest of cracks and can easily refreeze during the cold winter months, causing the cracks to expand significantly. Improper drainage surrounding your driveway can wear at its edges, and storing heavy vehicles on the asphalt or concrete can create unsightly depressions in the surface.
When to Repair
If you happen to catch cracks when they are small, repairs are a reasonable option. A professional paver can fill the gaps and sealcoat the surface to prevent more cracks from occurring. Cracks that are less than ¼” wide do not typically indicate deep damage and can be easily fixed with liquid fillers. For cracks larger than that, filling them will only serve as a temporary fix. Holes in the driveway that occur due to heavy load sizes can be filled with a special patching material, but holes too can become larger issues and are sometimes only temporarily repaired with patching.
When to Replace
The most obvious warning signs that you should consider replacement of your driveway are large cracks, deep holes, or a combination of the two. You’ll also want to keep in mind the age of your driveway. Like most everything else, driveways will become worn with age. If your driveway is near 20-25 years old and you come upon a crack or hole, replacement should be at the top of your home maintenance list. Weather and years of use will begin to wear at the asphalt, to the point where repairing is often a waste of money and time.
If your driveway is in need of maintenance or replacement, the first step is to make a call to the professionals. 1-855-GOT-PAVING is your best resource for driveway repair in Maryland. Contact us today for more information on driveway maintenance and replacement!
