Asphalt Cracks Need To Be Patched

If you have any cracks in your asphalt, you might be surprised how easy they are to repair. Asphalt patch is sold at most home improvement stores and it is quite easy to work with. This article explains the process, and shows you which tools and techniques work best. It might be impossible to keep up with all the cracks in your asphalt, but it is never too late to start fixing them.

Asphalt Will Crack

Asphalt can crack the day after it is poured. This is just a sad fact of owning asphalt. Fortunately, overtime it is going to pick up even more cracks, especially as the soil underneath shifts. Usually, if there are trees growing near your asphalt, you will have more problems with shifting soil. The most important reason to patch even small cracks and holes in your asphalt is to prevent them from becoming bigger, uglier, and more difficult to fix. That is, if you patch your asphalt now, you won't need to call professionals to make the repairs.

Use Premixed Asphalt Patch

DIY asphalt repair is definitely manageable if you use premixed asphalt patch. This comes in tubes that are squeezable and resealable. Basically, they are easy to use, and convenient to have on hand so you can make running repairs to your asphalt as you notice new cracks.

The actual process is quite simple. First, you want to clean your asphalt as well as possible. This means you want to clean out the crack, but also the top of the asphalt. Most people don't realize that asphalt patch actually needs to go on top of the asphalt too. That is, you will create a patch that is a few inches wider than the actual crack on either side.

Basically, the trick is to squeeze the patch directly into the crack and let it overflow. As it overflows onto the top of the asphalt, you can use a plastic putty knife or rubber squeegee to spread out the patch and create nice, thick lines.

Make sure you taper down the edges so there are no trip hazards. You want the patch to look as seamless as possible. Of course, this will require a little bit of skill and practice. After you patch a few cracks, you'll become more comfortable and it will be easier to create seamless edges.

As you can see, patching asphalt a simple, so you should not wait. The longer you wait, the more difficult it is bound to become. Contact a company like Pendleton Ready Mix Inc for more help.


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