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Care Info for your New Driveway
Congratulations on your new blacktop driveway! We are pleased that
you have chosen us as your paving contractor and confident this
driveway manual will answer all of your questions for a longer
lasting driveway. Since the liquid asphalt in blacktop needs time to
harden and cure, usually 6-12 months, your driveway will remain soft
and pliable until then. You may walk on your new driveway
immediately, but keep automobile traffic off it for at least 3 full
days and longer in hotter temperatures. Even after the blacktop has
cured, do not expect it to be as hard as concrete.
Your new blacktop will soften and harden as temperatures rise and
fall. Watering down your driveway with a hose on hot days will cool
and temporarily harden the blacktop. This is helpful but not
mandatory. If soap suds should appear do not be alarmed. This is a
reaction between the diesel fuel found in blacktop and a high
chlorine content found in some city water. Although every effort is
made to avoid puddles in your driveway, some small ones are
inevitable depending on the natural slope and drainage of your
ground. Blacktop is scarred by automobiles starting out too fast,
pulling in too quickly and just plain driving too fast. During the
first 6-12 months while your driveway is curing don't park in the
same spot every time. Do not turn your steering wheel back and forth
when your car is not moving. Avoid using jack stands or car ramps
unless a piece of plywood is placed under them to help distribute
the weight.
Excessive weight from large heavy vehicles can depress your new
blacktop. Keep oil trucks, concrete trucks, and any other heavy
trucks off your new driveway. When storing campers for long periods
of time, place a piece of plywood under the tongue jack. Also put
them under the tires. Bicycle and Motorcycle kickstands exert weight
on concentrated areas and will create holes and depressions in your
new driveway. Especially watch out for those pointy high heels
during the warm months when your driveway is new. The edges are the
weakest part of your driveway due to the lack of side support. Avoid
driving on the edges since they will crack and crumble in time. We
suggest building up the sides of your driveway with topsoil. This
will support the edges and enhance the appearance after grass is
grown. Your driveway may look smoother in some areas than others
because of the makeup of blacktop. Blacktop has various sizes of
stone, sand, liquid asphalt, and other ingredients which cause a
varied texture of the surface. Also, blacktop areas that have been
raked and spread with hand tools may appear different in texture
from those spread by machine.
Avoid gasoline, oil, anti-freeze, power steering and transmission
fluid spills and leaks. These will dilute the liquid asphalt in your
blacktop. Any hole left by these spills should be filled with cold
patch. Any hairline cracks that may have developed over the winter
due to the concentration and expansion of the ground should be
filled with crack filler. These products can be purchased from your
local building supply store.
To preserve your new driveway, it is advisable to seal coat it after
it has been paved. Sealing too soon, however, may cause damage to
your new driveway. The best time to seal is 3-12 months after is has
been paved, and every 2-3 years thereafter. Because blacktop is
naturally porous, water can seep into and through the paving. This
not only causes deterioration, but results in ridges and upheaval
due to frost and freezing. Blacktop is also softened and broken up
by gasoline, lube grease, road salts and anti-freeze which drips
from cars. Sealer protects blacktop with a coating that is
impervious to these harmful elements. Unprotected driveways remain
porous, dry out, become rough, and lose their life rapidly.
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