Here’s How to Have a Great-Looking, Long-Lasting Driveway

Regular driveway care is essential to maintain the value and curb appeal of your home. It can also help avoid more costly fixes down the road. If a larger repair is needed, you also need to know whether you should reseal, resurface, or repave. These driveway patch and cleaning tips will get you on the right track.

Asphalt vs. Concrete Driveways

Asphalt and concrete are the most common driveway materials, but they use different adhesives (tar for asphalt and cement for concrete). This means different methods and materials are sometimes used for asphalt driveway repair vs. concrete driveway repair. Asphalt can soften or sag in extreme heat and requires resealing every few years. Asphalt driveway maintenance is easier, and the repairs will blend more seamlessly than with concrete. Concrete lasts longer, but it stains more easily and is subject to cracking in extreme cold.

Cleaning Your Driveway

Spills and stains are bound to happen, but they don’t have to ruin your driveway. Here's some tips on how to keep it clean. Make sure you have the following on hand before you start:

Garden hose with spray nozzle or a pressure washer
Stiff push broom for scrubbing stains
Driveway cleaner
Safety gloves for handling chemical cleaners

Oil & Grease Stains

If the spill is fresh, cover it with baking soda or cat litter to absorb the liquid. Then use a driveway cleaner and stiff brush to remove. If it still proves tough to remove oil from your driveway, try a degreaser to loosen up the oil even more.

Tire Marks

Tire marks can ruin the appearance of a concrete driveway. The best way to avoid them is to apply an acrylic concrete sealer when the driveway is new. Otherwise, use a strong degreaser and stiff brush to remove tire marks from your driveway.

Leaf Stains

Leaf stains require a different approach because the stain is organic vs. chemical. Wash your driveway thoroughly with a hose or pressure washer, then use a quarter cup of detergent mixed with a gallon of water.

Important! Do not use detergents containing bleach on an asphalt driveway.

Mold & Mildew

Common to driveways in shaded areas, mould and mildew are unsightly and potentially damaging. Use a mould-killing detergent or a bleach and water solution (1 cup per gallon, only on concrete). White vinegar is also effective and will avoid harm to any nearby plants.

Fertilizer Stains

Fertilizers can leave rust-like stains on a concrete driveway, which can be permanent if allowed to penetrate. A half-and-half vinegar/water solution may do the trick. If not try muriatic acid diluted 40:1 with water.

Important! Test a small area first as it may etch the concrete.

Repairing Your Driveway

Driveway repair isn’t that difficult if you act quickly and use the proper tools and materials. Here’s a rundown of how to prep and repair some common driveway issues.

Prepping Your Driveway for Repair

Use a stiff broom or leaf blower to remove all dust, debris and leaves from the area to be repaired.
If the area is stained, clean it with a garden hose or pressure washer, allowing plenty of time for water inside the cracks to dry.
Use a sidewalk crack weeder or short garden hoe to dig out any vegetation from cracks, potholes and sinkholes.
Break up any previous patch materials with a hammer and chisel and remove the debris.
Sweep or blow the area clean again.

Driveway Crack Repair

Depending on your type of driveway you’ll need a masonry crack filler or an asphalt crack filler. Either way, the methods for sealing driveway cracks are similar:

For small, single cracks apply the driveway crack filler with a caulking gun.
For spider or alligator cracks, spread a quarter-inch layer of filler over the entire area using either an asphalt squeegee or a trowel for concrete.
Apply additional filler as needed.
Spread the filler out about a foot away from the repair area to create a smooth, seamless transition.
Allow to dry as per the filler instructions.

Driveway Pothole Repair

A pothole can damage your vehicles, pose an injury hazard to pedestrians, and can also lead to larger areas of pavement failure. Potholes bigger than two feet in diameter may require a hot patch from a professional contractor. Driveway patching of smaller potholes is an easy DIY repair with a cold patch. Here’s How:

Remove any loose rocks and other debris.
Pour in your pothole filler and spread it out to about half-an inch above the surface to allow for compaction.
If you’re using a water-activated filler, add a liberal amount of water and allow it to penetrate and soak into the patch material.
Use a hand tamper to tamp the patch down into a level, compacted surface.

Sinkholes & Birdbaths

A “birdbath” is a small, shallow depression in your driveway (1-2 inches deep), whereas a sinkhole is deeper and wider. Both can be filled with an asphalt depression filler and leveler, unless cracks are appearing through middle. In this case you’ll need to dig it out and repair it like you would a pothole.

De-icers

De-icers can damage the surface of your driveway through repeated thawing and refreezing of moisture. They can also wear away your driveway sealer. Consider sand as an alternative for traction during the winter months.

Resealing Your Driveway

For a concrete driveway use a concrete sealer. Solvent-based sealers are usually spray-applied, while water-based sealers are applied with a roller. It's best to apply two thin coats while ensuring the sealer doesn't puddle or thicken unevenly. Asphalt driveways require an asphalt driveway sealer. Here’s How to apply it:

Mix the sealer well with a wooden paddle or drill mixer.
Apply a thin coat of sealer, starting at the highest point on your driveway.
Use an asphalt squeegee to spread the sealer around, applying downward pressure to ensure a thin, well-sealed coat.
Squeegee back and forth making sure you overlap slightly with each pass.
Allow 24 hours for the sealer to cure.

Resurfacing Your Driveway

The cost to resurface an asphalt driveway is more than sealcoating, but if excessive wear is present, then resurfacing might be a better option. This entails adding a completely new asphalt surface over the existing pavement. To resurface a concrete driveway you’ll need to grind, etch or acid-wash the concrete to ensure a good bond. Proper material mixing and application is also essential. You should consult with a professional contractor before undertaking any driveway resurface project.

Repaving Your Driveway

If your asphalt is too broken up to support an overlay, then it’s time to replace your driveway. Professional pavers will rebuild the foundation and pave it with new asphalt. It's the most expensive option, but you'll have a great-looking driveway ready for decades of hard use.

Now that you know how to maintain your driveway, you can see that an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure. Keep to a regular cleaning schedule and address repairs as needed, and you’ll have a great looking driveway for years to come.