Taking Care of Your New Driveway, Sidewalk or Patio

It is important to seal your asphalt driveway when it is fully cured. Unprotected driveways remain porous, dry out and become rough and lose their life rapidly.

Sealing your driveway also protects against damage from from gasoline, oil and other corrosive liquids.

Driveways take from 3-6 months to fully cure

Below are some tips to help you take care of your drive way, especially during the first critical days and next few years. Your driveway will take from 3-6 months to fully cure. You will know that the driveway is cured as it fades to a grayish color. Please follow the tips to ensure a long lasting surface that you will enjoy for years to come.

• Asphalt needs time to cure to full strength Liquid asphalt usually takes 6-12 months to cure. It will be pliable and soft until then. Keep auto traffic off for at least 3 full days or longer if hot outside. .

• Help keep it cool - Watering down your driveway on hot days will cool and temporarily harden the asphalt. This is helpful but not mandatory. If soaps suds appear do not be alarmed. Although every effort is made to avoid puddles in your drieway, some small ones are inevitable.

• Take care - Your new driveway can be scarred by automobiles starting out too fast, pulling in too quickly, turning around in tight areas and just plain driving too fast.

• Rotate parking - During the first 6-12 months while your driveway is curing do not park in the same spot every time. Do not turn your steering wheel back and forth when your car is not moving.

• Use plywood under jacks or ramps - Put a piece of plywood under your jack or car ramps to help distribute the weight.

• Avoid excessive weights - Large heavy vehicles can depress your driveway. Keep oil trucks, concrete trucks and other heavy trucks off your new driveway. When storing campers and boats for a long period of time, place a piece of plywood under the tongue jack and also under the tires.

• Avoid pointed objects - Lawn chairs, bicycle and motorcycle kickstands exert weight on concentrated areas and will create holes and depression in your new driveway. Especilly watch out for those pointy high heels dueing the warm months

• Staff off the edges of your driveway - This is the weakest part of your driveway due to lack of side support. Avoid driving in the edges since they will crack and crumble in time. We suggest building up the sides of your driveway with top soil to approximately one inch from the top to allow room for sod growth and water drainage.

• In case of weeds - Although every effort is made to remove and kill grass, weeds, and dandelions before your driveway is paved, they sometimes have very deep roots. If any should push up through your driveway, contact us for instructions.