We schedule separate service calls for the three services that we offer: (1) sealing, (2) crack filling, and (3) hot-asphalt repair. Depending on the condition of your driveway, your proposal may call for one, two, or all three of our services.
For sealing and crack filling service calls, we will give you as much notice as possible beforehand, but we generally schedule these service calls no more than 24 hours in advance to minimize the need to reschedule due to constantly changing weather. We will leave you a recorded phone message, with instructions (e.g. keep cars and dogs off the driveway all day, etc.), to let you know what day we intend to do the work. You won’t need to call back unless the proposed appointment is inconvenient and you need to change it.
Hot-asphalt repairs do not require perfect weather. If your driveway requires hot-asphalt repair, we will do this in advance of sealing and usually with little or no prior notice, unless you specifically request otherwise.
Driveway sealer typically dries to the touch in 24 hours or less – sometimes quite a bit less depending on the weather. You can walk on the sealed driveway as soon as you see that it is dry to the touch, but a good rule of thumb is to keep cars off until the morning after the job was done. Even then, make sure that there are no damp spots before opening the driveway to traffic.
Crack filling (which is done in advance of sealing) will usually dry within a few hours to both walk on and drive on, but, again, be sure to check for damp spots and make sure everything is dry before opening to traffic. Hot-asphalt repairs can be driven over and walked on as soon as the asphalt has cooled to the touch.
We do not require deposits for driveway sealing, but we do ask for payment in full upon completion of the job via cash or check (once we have the chance to send you a bill). If you are not in a position to pay on completion of the job, please let us know before we start.
Four times out of five, when a sealing job isn’t done on schedule the reason is a car left parked on the driveway with no one around to move it, or a dog running loose in the yard. Sometimes people are home, but we can’t reach them to move their cars because they are on the phone, in the shower, sleeping, in the back yard, etc. Please move your cars and secure your dogs first thing in the morning – whether or not you intend to be home – to avoid this all-too-common pitfall.
Also, any activity that results in a wet driveway – car washing, lawn watering, etc. – will prevent us from sealing your driveway if we happen to arrive while it’s still wet. Please keep the pavement surface dry the day the sealing is scheduled.
For better or worse, asphalt driveways are highly visible landscape features. Regular driveway sealing accomplishes important objectives:
All asphalt driveways eventually crack. Most will show some signs of cracking after just a few years. There are several causes for cracks in asphalt driveways, the most common of which are the following:
No. Cracks in asphalt can and should be regularly treated, but they can never be permanently eliminated. Regardless of how cracks were originally caused, and regardless of the technique used to fill them, they will inevitably re-crack along the same line — most noticeably after the winter — and require refilling from time to time. It is not possible to “glue” a driveway back into one piece using crack filler, of any sort.
Regular crack filling benefits a driveway by preventing grass and weeds from growing through cracks, and by slowing down erosion under the driveway by limiting the amount of water that runs through and under the surface. Also, an untreated cracked driveway can become unsightly in a hurry. Regularly filling cracks and sealing the driveway will keep up its appearance.
Some older driveways become so badly cracked that it is no longer practical to fill each of the hundreds or thousands of cracks individually. This does not necessarily mean that the driveway has to be replaced immediately. A reasonable compromise is to seal the driveway as is. Sealing alone won’t solve all of the pavement problems, but it will slow down deterioration and improve the driveway’s appearance. Saving and maintaining an old driveway is cheap compared to the cost of replacing it. And brand new driveways look great when they are first installed, but, no matter how much they cost, they all crack soon enough.
For cracks in residential pavement we trowel in an asphalt mixture that hardens much like a black concrete. The mixture shrinks some when it dries, so we often have to hit larger cracks twice before we seal the entire driveway. This treatment will not stop all water from penetrating a driveway (nor will any crack treatment), but it will stop most water, and it will prevent grass and weeds from growing through the driveway if done regularly. After the driveway is sealed, there will be a slight color and texture difference where the cracks were filled with this thicker material.
We do not recommend liquid hot tar for residential driveways, for the following reasons:
We use hot asphalt (i.e., the same material from which the driveway was originally constructed) to repair potholes, replace missing pavement, and fill sunken areas. Hot asphalt is also used for building or repairing curbing, and for widening or adding on to existing pavement. Hot asphalt is not suitable for filling cracks. An area that has been patched with hot asphalt will be a slightly different color and texture compared to the rest of the driveway.
We apply sealer exclusively by hand with brushes. Many contractors coat driveways by spraying a mixture of air and sealer out of a nozzle, or by using a window-washing type squeegee. Brush application takes longer to accomplish and uses more material than spray or squeegee application, but the result is, in my opinion, a neater and longer-lasting job.
Yes. Tires may mark up a recently sealed driveway, especially in areas where cars make frequent sharp turns, but such marks fade in a short time and eventually become invisible.
When we finish sealing we have to get off the wet driveway on the lawn to avoid leaving long-lasting footprints on the street. Footprints on grass will disappear – with no residual effect – the next time the lawn is mowed.
Many of our regular clients reseal their driveways every year. We usually suggest every other year unless the driveway is cracked or the previous winter was severe. Heavy-traffic pavement (e.g., commercial parking) arguably should be resealed annually regardless of its condition, and whether or not the previous winter was harsh.
Sealer sometimes will not adhere as well to certain parts of a driveway as it does to the rest of the surface. For example, sealer does not hold up as well over time in heavily shaded areas, or over asphalt that has been damaged by previous gas or oil spills. If your driveway is shaded or oil-stained, we would advise sealing it every year to keep it protected.
We send all of our clients reminders through the mail when, in our opinion, their driveways are due to be resealed.
Yes. Many people like the look of Belgian block driveway edging, and we have no problem sealing around the blocks without damaging them. Sometimes Belgian blocks are laid flat across the driveway at the entrance or to separate one section of the driveway from another. We can seal around this type of Belgian block layout as well.
Yes. Please contact us to request a quote for a new driveway.
You should wait at least 48 hours before driving on a newly paved asphalt driveway, and one week to park on it.
Asphalt cures for up to a year after it is installed. Curing is the process by which the stone and oil mixture hardens and strengthens. It is advised that during the first 12 months after your new driveway is installed to avoid heavy traffic on the pavement (for example, garbage trucks, delivery trucks, dumpsters). During the curing process you should also avoid parking in the same spot and engaging the power steering while your vehicle is stationary. This will help to minimize the chances of scuffing marks and indentations. However, even with the most diligent precautions taken, scuffing and small indentations are never completely avoidable. (If you do get minor scuffing marks, the first sealing should help to hide them. See “What kind of maintenance do I need to do for my new driveway?” for more information.)
The ground underneath the new asphalt shifts and settles over time, especially after being disturbed by a heavy-construction project such as installing a new driveway. We grade the new driveway as best as we can, but having some minor areas of pooling water on a new driveway is often unavoidable.
Yes, please turn your sprinklers off on the day that we are scheduled to install your new driveway. You must also reroute sprinkler lines that would otherwise run under the pavement surface. It’s best to have the lines, heads, and valves moved out of the area to avoid costly repairs if they break later.
For a new asphalt driveway, the initial focus should be on protecting it during the curing period and then implementing a regular maintenance schedule that includes sealing the pavement and crack repair. Periodically sealing your pavement is beneficial for protecting the asphalt from UV damage, water, and other elements. You must let the new asphalt go through one full freeze-thaw cycle before sealing it, but we advise letting it go through two. (We will contact you after the second freeze-thaw cycle to remind you that your asphalt is due for sealing.)
Newly paved asphalt may appear rough or slightly uneven due to the roller-compaction process or variations in asphalt mix. Within a few months of use and weather exposure, the surface will settle and smooth out naturally. It is also common to have a few small pieces of the asphalt stone become loose and break free during the first few months after installation. This is harmless and happens on every newly installed driveway.
Yes, we install drainage. Most of the time we will preemptively add that to the quote if your driveway currently has drains. We do not quote new drain installs unless asked ahead of time from the homeowner.
Yes, we install Belgium block. Most of the time we will preemptively add that to the quote if your driveway currently has Belgium block set into the old asphalt. We do not quote new stone installs unless asked ahead of time from the homeowner.
Contact us today to evaluate your driveway and get a detailed estimate. We’ll inspect the surface, check for underlying issues, and recommend the best option for your project. Most assessments can be scheduled within a few days.
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