Tarmac Repair You Can Do Yourself
sealing cracks
When your driveway needs some small tarmac repairs done to it, what do you do?
- Ignore them and hope the need for repair goes away
- Get a quote from a professional paving contractor and then do nothing because it’s too expensive or
- Bite the bullet and do your own tarmac repair.
Tarmac drives, like anything else (your car or house, for example), need maintenance. If your car suddenly had a problem you wouldn’t ignore it or you would soon be walking or taking the bus. If you had a leak in your roof you wouldn’t ignore that either. So any problem with your driveway should also be taken care of just as promptly. And where many people do their own small car and house repairs DIY tarmac repair is just as easy.
The types of small repairs your driveway may need generally fall into the following categories:
- Cracks
- Potholes
- Depressions
- Blemishes
- Aging
When your driveway was first built, it was probably constructed using a hot mix. Fortunately, all these can be done as a cold tarmac repair.
Cracks
There are several reasons why driveways crack. The cause can be anything from problems with the underlying foundation layers to an aging old surface which has become brittle. The important thing when you first notice cracking is to seal the cracks before they get any bigger. Very thin cracks can be sealed with proprietary sealants that can be bought at most DIY or hardware stores. For bigger cracks you would need to first plug them with a cold mix which you can buy as tarmac repair bags before applying a sealant over the top.
If you have a lot of fine cracks over the whole length of the driveway, it is often a good idea to put a sealant over the whole driveway. This will not only seal the cracks but will also rejuvenate your driveway.
Potholes
The edges of the pothole should be squared off and the loose material in the hole removed. You should in fact dig down until you get to a firm base. A tarmac repair kit is the ideal product here. It consists of a cold mix asphalt and a cold pour emulsion or sealant. The cold pour is used to coat the bottom and sides of the hole. The cold mix is then placed in the hole, leveled off and compacted with a hand rammer or even just the flat back of a spade. The trick here is to leave the finished patch just proud of the surrounding surface. This ensures water will not collect in the patch and cause further problems.
Depressions
Depressions can occur in your drive as a result of isolated settlement of the underlying foundation layer. In an ideal world you could dig it all up and redo it but that would be an expensive option. Instead coat the area with some cold pour and put cold mix in it. Use a bit of timber to strike off and level it so the finished surface matches the surrounding area.
Blemishes
Blemishes can be caused by fuel and oil leaks, or the spillage of any other caustic or abrasive type substance. Not only do defects like this discolour your driveway but they also soften the area of the spill and if left unattended potholing will result.
To repair these mark out a square well back from the spill and dig out the contaminated material. Then patch it out just like you would for a pothole.
Aging
All the above problems should be dealt with as and when they arise. Aging on the other hand comes under the heading of preventative maintenance. Every couple of years you should apply a sealant to the whole driveway. You don’t want one that will just paint it black to make it look all shiny and new. You want a sealant that will add value to your driveway. One that will actually rejuvenate and enrich the old and tired surface. Do this and you will not only extend the life of your driveway but you will also lessen the prospects of any of the other problems like potholes and depressions and cracks occurring.
There are many different types and makes of tarmac repair products available today. There is also a lot of information on how to do your own repairs and what to use. So when you next need to do some small tarmac repairs don’t put it off. If you are unsure how to tackle the problem get some advice. Your local DIY store or hardware shop will be able to help you. Replacing a driveway is a lot more hassle as well as expensive than repairing it in the first place.