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Understandably, most individuals give little care to their driveway up to a point. The driveway doesn’t require much tender loving care as it is often paved with a sturdy material like concrete or even interlocking stones. Even though you might not need to perform driveway maintenance every day, you should still take care of it.
Here are some driveway maintenance tips to keep your driveway clean and functional.
Concrete vs. Asphalt Driveway
Choosing the right driveway material is essential, whether you’re building a new house or just renovating it. Asphalt and concrete are the two primary paving materials available for driveways.
Materials and Cost
Stone and sand are used to create both asphalt and concrete. Concrete and asphalt’s adhesive components are the primary distinction between the two. Concrete is composed of cement, whereas asphalt is made of petroleum. A driveway made of asphalt often costs less than one made of concrete.
Maintenance
An asphalt driveway is typically sealed six months to a year after installation and sealed once every three to five years. Sealing asphalt driveway doesn’t need a professional, but it will increase the driveway’s lifespan. Many people can seal their own driveways with the proper materials.
Concrete driveways, however, don’t need as much sealing. However, many homeowners choose to do this since it protects the finish and improves the appearance of concrete driveways. Degreasers add to the price of maintaining concrete driveways, but they frequently require eliminating oil, chemical, and fuel stains that accumulate over time.
Duration
The main distinction between concrete and asphalt driveways is that the latter is more durable. It has a 30-year lifespan, if maintained properly. A strong, long-lasting alternative is concrete, which can last households 50+ years with only sporadic maintenance and degreasing.
Aesthetics
Pavement type has a significant impact on how your driveway appears. You can stain, tint, etch, or stamp on concrete to get the desired aesthetic. Finishes offer many shades or colors from the off-white, grayish tint that concrete naturally has.
Asphalt, on the other hand, must be crushed and rolled when it comes to installation. Finishes like stamping or etching don’t work well with it. Some sealants have tints or colors, although black is the commonly available color.
Concrete Driveway Maintenance Tips
Concrete requires the least amount of maintenance for driveways, but it is also the priciest. Homeowners want to protect their investment and maintain its good looks for many years to come.
A little routine maintenance will make your driveway survive longer in the future. You only need to commit a few hours of effort each year and adhere to a few simple maintenance procedures.
Plan Gutters
Plan gutters to drain away from your driveway to reduce the amount of water sitting on the surface. This protects your pavement when the concrete is initially installed. Avoid roots from forcing up through cracks in the driveway by removing trees or plants with roots running underneath.
Repatch Concrete Problem Areas
Before issues caused by water and other weather conditions worsen, treat any areas of the concrete that have already developed cracks. Fill gaps and cracks in the concrete with a concrete patching compound to stop additional damage.
Power wash the driveway after sweeping it to eliminate dirt and debris. Apply the patching substance next, and then wait for it to dry. Apply the final application of concrete sealant.
If not sealed, cracks at the expansion joints where the slabs of the concrete meet can be just as hazardous. Thoroughly clean the junction and seal it using silicone concrete caulk to prevent water from leaking to fix these cracks.
Seal Driveway to Prevent Cracking
Concrete is suitable for driveways because it’s a sturdy material. However, one uncomplicated component can destroy the surface. If water can get within the concrete, it causes cracks to propagate swiftly.
Apply concrete sealant to your driveway during rainy seasons to prevent cracking. Applying a sealant, even if the driveway has never had one, will safeguard the concrete, ensure excellent flood protection, and prevent water damage.
Power wash the driveway to remove debris, tree sap, and other gunk from the surface. Next, use a concrete and asphalt cleaning agent that you may get at your neighborhood hardware shop to remove stubborn grease and oil stains. Apply your preferred sealant lastly. You can find high-quality commercial sealers in house construction supply companies and hardware stores. The two types of seal you can get are:
- Dry-look seal: Although more expensive, the dry-look seal provides protection that lasts up to 10 years.
- Wet-look seal: Wet-look seal must be renewed every three to five years but is less expensive and has the benefit of preventing grease and oil stains.
Park Wisely
Although concrete is indeed sturdy, it can nevertheless break. Be careful not to overstress the driveway’s margins where the concrete is more fragile. When parking, keep heavy machinery and construction vehicles as far away from the driveway’s edge as possible.
Keep It Tidy
Concrete may absorb oil, gas, and grease up to 14 inches deep and become permanently stained. Even if you seal the concrete, remove stains immediately to avoid damaging your driveway’s tidy appearance.
If the liquid is still on the concrete’s surface, remove the stain by covering it with sawdust or cat litter. Let it sit for a day to allow the oil or grease to absorb thoroughly. Next, pressure wash any stained areas and apply specific grease-cutting and biodegradable detergents.
Safeguard the Edges
Most driveways can’t accommodate large trucks. Edges are highly susceptible to chipping under heavy weight. During home renovations, ensure your automobile is away from the edges and that construction trucks never park there.
Asphalt Driveway Maintenance Tips
It takes a new driveway between 6 and 12 months to cure after installation. After that, the asphalt starts to deteriorate after only 5 to 6 years, getting harder and more brittle if you don’t maintain it. The sun’s UV rays will damage asphalt by dissolving its carbon bonds. In addition, multiple floodings will cause the asphalt to stretch and slide, forming cracks and deepening already present ones.
Repair Cracks
Patch any holes or cracks as soon as they emerge. Before applying a crack filler and patching compound, remove any loose materials with a masonry chisel and clean up the mess with a brush. When visitors come to your house, ensuring your driveway is level and smooth may also assist in preventing tripping mishaps.
Seal Coat the Surface
Repairing surface cracks with fillers while still little is an excellent driveway maintenance technique. Additionally, you can frequently seal coat your driveway every two to three years. The seal coat will produce a water seal, defending the asphalt from UV radiation damage from the sun and the brittleness resulting from an unprotected surface. Additionally, give your driveway a good cleaning by brushing off any excess dirt and debris and cleaning oil stains.
Reduce the Amount of Water on the Driveway
To lessen the likelihood of snow and water seeping through the driveway’s surface, leave a two to three-inch strip clear along the driveway’s edges. This will serve as a runoff area. Additionally, make sure drains discharge into the yard rather than the driveway.
Resurfacing and Replacing Your Asphalt Driveway
If your driveway already has many cracks and needs to be properly maintained, consider resurfacing or replacing it. Resurfacing gives an old driveway a pleasant, fresh look by adding a thinner layer of asphalt. If the original driveway’s underlying structure is sound, it can be a solid and reasonably priced choice. However, if the old road has significant damage and the structure is weak, these problems will quickly recur on the freshly resurfaced driveway. The greatest option for a long-term structural and aesthetically pleasing remedy is to replace the driveway completely.
How Long Can an Asphalt Driveway Last If It Is Well Maintained?
A decent driveway can last 20 to 25 years if you take care of it properly and follow driveway maintenance tips. Spending money on driveway repair every two to three years can prevent having to replace your driveway entirely. Although some people choose to perform the maintenance themselves, it can be advantageous to hire a professional to complete the work. They have the best tools for the job and will be able to identify any problems or repairs before they become significant and expensive problems.
The Cons of Abandoning Your Driveway
If you ignore driveway maintenance tips, this could harm your single largest investment, your home:
- Reduced Curb Appeal: Your home’s curb appeal will suffer if your driveway isn’t well-maintained, no matter what kind of paving material it is. A concrete driveway that has become stained or has been undermined by the flood cycle will give any property a rundown appearance that will be difficult to remove. In contrast, an old, cracked, bleached-out asphalt driveway is a dreadful sight. If the edge of your driveway’s interlocking pavers has given way, it may cause some of the pavers to come loose, ruining the appearance of the entire surface.
- Damage to Your Foundation: When interlocking pavers, asphalt, or concrete in a driveway crack, water seeps into the sub-layers. Depending on how close the house is to the driveway, this penetration may weaken the entire driveway area. This results in water pressure building on the house’s foundation. This particular hydrostatic pressure contributes to basement flooding and foundation deterioration.
- Loss of Property Value: Having a shabby-looking and hazardous driveway is undoubtedly one method to achieve just that. It doesn’t take much to throw the value of a home into a tailspin. The property’s value is based on several variables, such as safety, “livability,” and the possibility that it would sell. A poorly maintained driveway might adversely affect all those elements, which will significantly reduce your home’s market value.
- Reduced Safety: A broken or potholed driveway surface poses a trip hazard to children, neighbors, and visitors and may result in dreadful injury. In addition, driving your car through potholes daily to get it into and out of the garage can harm the suspension system or misalign the steering.
- Functionality: A driveway that is in poor condition is no longer able to fulfill the function for which it was intended. A driveway typically serves as both a path for vehicles to enter your home and a place to park and spend a portion of the year for vehicles. There will be less chance of damage or tire wear if your driveway is in decent condition.
Key Takeaway
An essential part of maintaining the appearance and safety of your driveway is keeping the whole property safe. It’s simpler than you may expect, which is good news. No matter what kind of material you use to pave your driveway, if you follow these driveway maintenance tips, it should last for years longer. When building a driveway, consider the budget you are willing to spend on its maintenance. Driveways are often overlooked, but it significantly adds value to your property if well-maintained.
If you are looking for your dream house for sale with a driveway, you might want to check out online platforms like Lamudi. However, it is still best to visit your desired property to check if it suits all your preferences.
For more tips on the Philippine real estate market, check out other related journals on Lamudi here.
