4 Ways to Maintain Your Asphalt Driveway

An asphalt driveway does not ask for much. It does not need weekly attention or special products. What it needs is a handful of good habits, done consistently, so small problems never get the chance to become big ones. Most of the early failures we see could have been delayed by years with the simple steps below.

Here are four ways to keep your driveway in good condition through every New Jersey season.

1. Keep water moving off and away

Water that drains off the surface quickly does no harm. Water that sits on the asphalt, runs along an edge or soaks into the base is what breaks driveways apart, especially once it freezes.

A few things to check a couple of times a year:

• Downspouts. Make sure they discharge onto the lawn or into a drain, not onto the driveway or against its edge. A simple extension often solves the problem.
• Gutters. Clogged gutters overflow, and the water usually lands right where you do not want it. Clean them in late fall after the leaves are down.
• Edges. Lawn, mulch and garden beds slowly build up over time. If the ground beside the asphalt is higher than the surface, water cannot escape. Trim it back so the edge sits slightly above the soil.
• Puddles. After a rainstorm, look for water that lingers. A recurring puddle points to a low spot that should be corrected before it softens the base.

2. Keep the surface clean

Debris holds moisture against the asphalt and hides damage. Leaves, pine needles and grass clippings left in corners stay damp for days. Sweep or blow them off regularly, especially in fall.

Spills deserve quick attention. Gasoline, motor oil and other petroleum-based fluids soften asphalt binder. If a car is leaking, put a drip pan under it until it is repaired. When a spill happens, cover it with an absorbent like cat litter, let it soak up the fluid, sweep it away, and then scrub the spot with dish soap and water.

In winter, shovel or blow snow promptly so it does not get packed into ice. Use a plastic shovel blade rather than metal, and if you use ice melt, choose a calcium chloride product and spread only as much as you need. Sweep up leftover granules when the weather clears so they are not tracked around or left to sit.

3. Protect the edges and avoid heavy point loads

The edges of a driveway are its weakest point because they usually have no support beside them. Every time a tire rolls over the edge or drops off onto the lawn, the asphalt cracks and crumbles a little more. If cars regularly drive off the side, it may be worth adding width so they do not have to. Keeping a healthy lawn tight against the edge also helps hold it in place.

Heavy and sharp loads cause their own damage, particularly in summer. On a hot afternoon, asphalt softens enough that a motorcycle kickstand, a trailer jack or the feet of a roll-off dumpster can sink right into it. Put a piece of plywood under anything with a narrow point of contact. If you are having work done on your home and a dumpster or large truck is coming, ask that it be kept off the edges, and lay down boards where possible.

Try not to turn your steering wheel while the car is stopped, too. Turning in place scuffs the surface, especially on a newer driveway in warm weather.

4. Deal with damage while it is small

Every crack, hole and broken edge is an entry point for water. In New Jersey, where winter brings repeated freezing and thawing, those openings get bigger every season. A soft edge or a puddle that could be corrected this fall may turn into a much larger failed area by next spring.

Make a habit of walking the driveway in spring and again in fall. Look for new or widening cracks, holes, crumbling areas and spots that feel soft. Fix what you can yourself, like a downspout or a lawn edge that traps water, and have anything structural looked at. When the base has failed in an area, it needs to be cut out, rebuilt and compacted as part of repaving, not just covered over.

When damage is widespread, maintenance alone will not bring a driveway back. At that point, milling and repaving or a new asphalt driveway with a properly built base is the better investment.

A little attention goes a long way

None of these steps take much time, but together they make a real difference. For a closer look at what harms asphalt, read about the 3 things that can damage your asphalt driveway, and for a broader overview see how to maintain asphalt pavement.