Paving Facts
Experienced Driveway Maintenance in Richmond, VA
Let us offer these suggestions to keep our paving as good as new. Contact Absolute Asphalt LLC in Richmond, Virginia, for additional driveway maintenance suggestions.
Seal Coating
We recommend that new asphalt is sealed within the first year after it has oxidized for 3 months. After that we recommend sealing every 2-3 years. A good sign your asphalt is ready for sealer is a lightened color or loose aggregate on the surface.
Parking
During the first 6 to 12 months while your driveway is curing, do not park in the same spot every time. In addition, do not turn your steering wheel back and forth when the car is not moving.
Large Vehicles
Excessive weight from large heavy vehicles can depress your new blacktop. Keep oil trucks, concrete trucks, and any other heavy vehicles off your new driveway. When storing campers for long periods of time, place a piece of plywood under the tongue jack and also under the tires.
Edges
The edges are the weakest part of your driveway, due to lack of side support. Avoid driving on the edges since they will crack and crumble in time. Build up the sides of your driveway with topsoil. This will support the edges and enhance the appearance after the grass has grown.
Weather
Your paving will soften and harden as temperatures rise and fall. Watering down your driveway with a hose on hot days will cool and temporarily harden the blacktop. This is helpful but not mandatory. If soap suds should appear, do not be alarmed. This is a reaction between the diesel fuel found in blacktop and a high chlorine content found in some city water.
Appearance
Your driveway may look smoother in some areas than in others because of the makeup of the blacktop. Blacktop has various sizes of stones, sand, liquid asphalt, and other ingredients, which cause a varied texture of the surface. Also, blacktop areas that have been raked and spread with hand tools may appear different in texture from those spread by machine.