Asphalt driveway and sealing

As a homeowner, you understand the importance of maintaining your property, including your driveway. Taking care of your driveway isn’t always the easiest thing. You have to know when to seal coat it or when to have it repaved.

But when is the right time? And how do you go about maintaining and repairing a driveway? Every 24 months for a lasting driveway

Thankfully, SLC Contracting is here to help you. One of our top Project Managers took the time to answer some important questions homeowners often ask.

• If the driveway has areas where the pavement is rutted or severely broken, where the pavement sort of looks like the hide of an alligator – we call this “alligatoring” or alligator cracks – this is when you need to start thinking about new asphalt. When a pavement gets to that point you really can’t crack fill it any more.
• To crack fill over a patch of alligator cracks would basically turn the area into a continuous sheet of crack filling rubber. If you would do that, in warmer weather, vehicle tires can adhere to this large area of crack filler and literally pull the pavement out of the driveway.
• Also, a driveway that has been sealed/oversealed over the years can cause this alligatoring effect. The key is to look very closely at the pavement. Alligatoring from oversealing has more of a look of cracked glazing on pottery and doesn’t actually crack the pavement underneath, while alligatoring of the pavement will show actual cracks down into the pavement where an object like a butter knife could be inserted. Merely sealing really can’t cure either condition.

• We take a good look at the cracking on the driveway and whether or not the driveway drainage mechanics are working properly. Significant cracking of the pavement underneath allows water into the base, which in turn accelerates cracking during freeze-thaw times of the year. On the drainage mechanics, we look  to see if the driveway is draining properly and not allowing drainage towards foundations, doors, or other undesirable places.
• If the driveway has the alligatoring effect where just the sealcoat has that cracked glazed pottery look, a sealcoat will merely make everything nice and black again, but the effect will still be there once the sealcoat has been completed. This type of cracked-pottery alligatoring effect has no effect on the structural integrity of the driveway and is merely cosmetic in  nature.
• SLC Contracting uses state if the art technology and products made in Canada for Canada 🇨🇦