How to Repair a Long Scar on an Asphalt Driveway

Asphalt is one of the most common choices for driveway paving material. While it is well-suited for this purpose, it does need periodic maintenance to keep it in good repair. If your asphalt driveway has developed a crack, then you need to repair it as quickly as you can before water gets underneath the asphalt and erodes its foundations. Fortunately, asphalt repair is a job easily done by the do-it-yourselfer.

Broom
Hose
Weed killer
Driveway cleaning agent
Trowel
Sand
Asphalt filler or asphalt cold-patch
Brush with long handle
Asphalt sealer

Instructions

- 1
  Sweep the asphalt around the crack. Clear the crack of any litter. Remove any plants that have taken root there. Spray the crack with your garden hose to make sure that you have removed any foreign objects that have fallen in there.
- 2
  Spray the crack with weed killer once the asphalt is dry. This will prevent any weed seeds that fell in the crack from sprouting underneath the repair and damaging the patch.
- 3
  Scrub any oil or grease stains with a strong driveway cleaning agent. Oil and grease will keep the patch from sticking properly. Rinse cleaner residue away with the hose.
- 4
  Dig out the bottom of the crack with the trowel. For the patch to hold, the crack needs to get wider the deeper it goes. Asphalt patches will not properly seal cracks that are narrower at the bottom than the top. Sweep away the debris.
- 5
  Fill the crack up to 1/4 inch of the surface with sand, if it is deeper than 1/4 inch.
- 6
  Fill the crack with asphalt filler, if it is less than 1 inch wide. Wider cracks require asphalt cold-patch. Some of these products can be applied with a trowel, others require other methods of application. Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
- 7
  Apply the asphalt sealer to the patch with the long-handled brush. Reapply the sealant every other year to keep the patch in optimal condition.

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