5 Ways A Paving Contractor Can Give Your Old Asphalt Drive A Facelift
An old and faded asphalt driveway can detract from your home's exterior appeal. Yet, it may seem too costly to replace a functional but unattractive drive. The good news is that there are plenty of ways an asphalt paving service can give your old drive an impressive new facelift.
1. Fix Small Damages
If little cracks and chips can make your drive look unkempt and drab, then larger cracks will make it look deplorable. The problem worsens as those cracks get bigger and weeds take up residence in them. Your paving service can clean out and fill in the cracks with asphalt epoxy compound. Patches are typically darker than the asphalt and therefore visible, but the improvement is still noticeable.
2. Clean and Reseal
Stains from car fluid and other spills are another common problem on asphalt, as is uneven fading. Plan to have the surface thoroughly cleaned using a steam or pressure washing method. After cleaning, an asphalt seal coat should be applied. Seal coats are a mixture of sealants and asphalt, which will protect your drive against moisture damage and further staining. Plus, the seal coat also darkens the drive and camouflages any stubborn stains or damaged patches.
3. Resurface Old Paving
Sometimes the damage is too severe to patch and seal over. In this case, consider resurfacing. The top layer of asphalt is ground down then a fresh layer is applied over it. It's less expensive and quicker than replacing the entire driveway because the base doesn't have to be removed and reconstructed. Resurfacing works well for warped, badly cracked, and crumbling asphalt drives.
4. Add a Colorful Overlay
If it's the boring gray or black color of the paving that is the problem, then an overlay is the answer. Asphalt can be dyed in a large range of colors, so there is no need to stick with gray or black. Much like resurfacing, an overlay is a fresh layer of asphalt over the old. The difference is that this asphalt is dyed in the color of your choice. You can even use multiple colors and create designs in the driveway.
5. Install Asphalt Edging
The edges of an asphalt driveway can end up looking quite bad as the years pass. Crumbling asphalt and weed incursion are the main complaints. If the drive looks fine except for the edges, then having some edging installed is an option. You can have concrete curbs poured, or you can have the damaged edge strips removed and have dyed decorative asphalt edge strips installed to create a frame for the driveway.
Contact an asphalt paving service if you are ready to give your old driveway an impressive facelift.
