Even though asphalt and brick are durable, long-lasting products, they can still break down. Driveways require ongoing maintenance to keep them looking new and healthy.
Properly maintaining your driveway can greatly extend its life and beauty: plain asphalt can look clean and bright, instead of oil-stained and grimy. Decorative interlocking brickwork can look the same after years, instead of faded and dirty. Properly maintaining your driveway also protects your investment. When it comes to maintaining your new driveway it’s just like anything you have inside or outside your home; if you look after it, it’ll treat you well.
Here are 10 tips on how to maintain your interlocking brick pattern or asphalt:
- Keep the driveway or walkway clear of any solvents or shore piling of rocks or granular materials for extended periods of time.
- With interlocking bricks, it’s important just to keep it clean and occasionally rebuff the polymeric sand content.
- In the winter, asphalt is just as susceptible to damage as it is in the summer. If you never shovel your driveway, then there could be problems. Safety is also an issue here.
- Don’t park on your brand-new asphalt driveway for 5 days if it’s really hot outside. If it’s cool, you should wait at least 3 days. For an interlocking driveway project, you can start parking on it right away.
- With asphalt, in extremely hot conditions, don’t leave items like your barbecue out on the driveway.
- If you choose to re-seal your driveway, re-seal it every 1-3 years. If you live in an area that sees extremely cold winters or hot summers, we recommend you reseal every year.
- Keep grass clippings off your driveway by sweeping after every time you mow your lawn. The seeds in the clippings can find their way into tiny cracks in your asphalt and sprout grass. Not only is it an eyesore, but it can also make the cracks even larger.
- As soon as you see any weeds growing in a crack or hole in your driveway, spray it with environmentally-safe weed killer or vinegar so the crack doesn’t get larger.
- Clean up any substance from your asphalt driveway as soon as possible. If you have oil leaks collecting on your driveway.
- Fill in any cracks or holes you may have in your driveway with an asphalt crack-filler.
There are several factors working against your driveway: heat, cold, sun, oils, and everyday wear and tear. Over time, these will slowly deteriorate your parking surface. Following these tips can help prevent your driveway from feeling like an off-road excursion.
Contact Ampac Paving & Concrete today if your driveway is suffering, or to learn more about what can cause damage to your newly paved driveway.