Options to Hide Driveway Cracks

Bonding and Patching

• If you have a concrete driveway, you may use a bonding adhesive or agent combined with a vinyl patching compound to repair any cracks. If the crack is thin, you have to chip away a small area around it to apply the bonding adhesive. Top it with the vinyl patching compound and smooth out the area to make it level with the surrounding concrete. Coating the old concrete or filling the crack with a bonding agent before applying a patching compound helps the compound adhere better to the old concrete, preventing future cracks in the same area.

Sealants

• For asphalt driveways, sealants provide a simple way to repair cracks. In addition to sealing individual cracks, regularly sealing your driveway helps prevent new cracks. When selecting a sealant, you can choose between a coal tar and an asphalt-based sealer. Each type of sealer can be made as cold-application filled sealers or hot-applied sealers. For smaller cracks, up to 1/8 inch wide, an asphalt-based, cold-application filled sealer works best, while a hot-applied sealer should be used for larger cracks. Sealers that contain solids such as polymers and sand may last longer than thinner sealers without a lot of additions.

Asphalt Patches

• Asphalt patches are often used for larger cracks and holes in asphalt and concrete driveways. You may use asphalt patches to repair cracks and holes that are up to 2 inches deep. The crack must be clean of any debris and contain vertical walls in order to best adhere to the driveway, so it may require some chiseling or re-shaping of the crack. Instead of using a sealer to hold the patch in place after applying it, supply heavy pressure to the patch with your car or a roller. Because an asphalt patch is made with an asphalt mixture, it may look out of place on a concrete driveway.

Grout

• A simple grout may be used to repair small cracks in concrete driveways. To make the grout, simply mix cement with water to make a paste to apply to the crack. When applying the grout, make sure the concrete is moist to help the grout adhere to the old concrete, and continue applying a small amount of water to the grout each day for a week, keeping it covered with a board for the entire week.