Protecting Your Investment After Hiring Asphalt Driveway Contractors
Hiring Raleigh asphalt driveway contractors to do new work is a big order, and an investment worth protecting. When properly installed, an asphalt driveway should last for decades – at least 20-30 years before major repairs or replacements are needed. However, that depends on the driveway being handled properly, and some minor maintenance along the way.
How can you help ensure that your asphalt driveway contractors do the job right, and how can you protect your new driveway once it’s completed? Here are some tips straight from Raleigh’s asphalt experts at Blalock Paving.
I. Before The Job
There are a few things you can do before your asphalt contractors arrive which can help ensure the project goes smoothly.
1 – Clear your yard of obstacles
Your driveway installation is going to involve multiple trucks and several workers, so they need unobstructed access to the driveway’s location as well as the area nearby. Be sure to go through the area picking up any toys, tools, furniture, and anything else that might be in their way.
2 – Trim back nearby bushes
If you have bushes or similar low-lying plants lining your driveway, we suggest trimming them back so that nothing overhangs the area where the driveway will go. Otherwise, they could get stuck in the drying asphalt and cause issues.
3 – Keep kids and pets far away
Hot asphalt being poured is extremely hot! You need to make sure your smaller family members are nowhere near the work being done. Also, as we’ll cover below, they need to be kept off of the asphalt for a few hours
In particular, if you have excitable or territorial outside animals, you might want to arrange other accommodations while the work is being completed.
II. After The Job
Once your asphalt driveway is installed, you’ll need to take proper care of it. But there are things you’ll want to keep in mind for roughly a year afterward.
These are the most important pieces of advice and maintenance tips we’ve cultivated in over 50 years of installing driveways!
1 – Keep off for a few hours
Freshly-laid asphalt requires a few hours to fully harden and cure. Contact with it, especially driving on it, could easily damage the final product during this time. So keep vehicles off the driveway until the following day.
2 – Avoid parking in the exact same spot
Asphalt is hard and strong, but it’s still somewhat flexible and can be damaged by constant pressure. It’s best to vary up where you park your car. This doesn’t need to be extreme, just make sure you aren’t parking in the exact same place every time.
3 – Never drive on the edge
The edges of an asphalt driveway will always be its weakest point, and prone to crumbling if they are damaged. So do whatever you can to avoid ever driving – or parking – near the edge of your new driveway. This is particularly true for the first year.
4 – Sealcoat your asphalt after one year
This is probably the single biggest mistake we see new asphalt owners make. It’s true that asphalt should be sealcoated, but do not sealcoat it immediately after installation. Asphalt actually takes around a year to 100% finish curing.
However, once a year is up, contact a qualified asphalt contractor to have it sealcoated. At this point, sealcoating is a vital protection that will reduce the damage done by wind, rain, snow, and ice. The sealcoat will need to be replaced around every 5 years after that. Keep an eye on the shiny surface – when it starts looking less shiny, that’s a sign the sealcoat is wearing off.
5 – Immediately clean up spills, particularly motor fluids
Asphalt shouldn’t have standing liquids sitting on it, which will start to break down the surface. This is especially true of motor fluids such as oil and transmission fluid, which are very bad for asphalt surfaces. These should be cleaned up immediately to prevent damage. Then, in general, try to keep liquids from sitting on the surface for too long.
6 – Keep the surface clean of debris
We suggest to keep an eye out for debris. This is particularly important in the fall, when your driveway is likely to get a lot of leaves or fallen branches on it.
These sorts of debris can end up being pushed into the asphalt surface if vehicles drive over them, potentially damaging it or breaking through the sealcoat to create a weak spot. Even small debris, such as pebbles and twigs, can damage the surface if a vehicle drives over them.
Blalock Paving Are Your Experienced Raleigh Asphalt Driveway Contractors
Since 1968, we’ve been proudly serving the Golden Triangle area with the best in asphalt and concrete paving services. No job is too big or small! We have experience with jobs ranging from regular residential driveways to huge municipal parking lots and streets. No matter the job, we’ll always offer exceptional workmanship and customer service.
