Potholes and cracks can ruin the asphalt paving around your home. Fortunately, the material can be patched and repaired so that you don't need to replace the paving entirely.
1. Cut and Patch
The best method for repairing a pothole is the cut patch. With this method, the damaged area is completely cut out of the asphalt, often down to the base material. Any damage to the base is repaired and the material is packed back down to prevent future sinking. Then hot asphalt is poured into the resulting hole in the paving. The edges of the existing paving may be heated so the fresh asphalt can be better incorporated into the surface, thus preventing future cracks and holes. Like other patches, the patch is visible but sealcoating over the entire paved area can help camouflage the slight color differences in the paving.
2. Hot Patch
A hot patch can be used on a shallow pothole as a permanent option, or it can provide a more temporary repair for a pothole that has penetrated the paving base. The method used is very similar to the cut and remove patch mentioned above, except the asphalt surrounding the damage isn't cut out. Instead, any debris in the hole is cleared out and the hot asphalt is poured in and allowed to cure. Eventually, the patch will pull away from the existing paving, so this type of patch is often done as a temporary measure when repaving is expected to occur within the next few years.
3. Cold Patch
Cold patching is one of the least ideal ways to repair asphalt. Unheated asphalt patch material is packed into the hole after all debris has been cleared. It will pack down and smooth out over time as traffic goes over it repeatedly. Unfortunately, this type of patch will only last a season or two since water will soon penetrate beneath the material and cause the pothole to reform. Cold patching is most often used as an extremely temporary patch, such as patching a pothole in winter until a more permanent repair can be done once the weather warms up or dries out.
4. Fill Patch
Fill materials can be combined with any type of patch. Special foam rods are most often used as fill, then the patch is applied over the top. The benefit of using fill in a patch is when damage is occurring due to expansion and contraction of the asphalt due to climate conditions. The fill allows some give in the asphalt so that a new hole or crack won't reopen in the future.
For more information on asphalt services, contact a company like Black Diamond Paving LLC.
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