Asphalt crack sealing is vital to the lifespan of an asphalt driveway. Keeping cracks sealed up from moisture is extremely important and ultimately should be done every year.
As a matter of fact, the best time to do this is in the fall when cracks are opened up at their widest. This will minimize the amount of moisture entering the cracks during those freeze and thaw cycles in the winter. In the summer, when the cracks expand, the crack sealer then gets squeezed tightly keeping rain water from entering those cracks.
This will help extend the life of your asphalt driveway tremendously.
Some contractors will actually use tar and sand to seal the cracks in your driveway which is not the proper way to perform this service.
You can learn more about this and more by reading our Asphalt Maintenance Scam Survival Guide!
The short answer? Unfortunately it’s not IF an asphalt driveway will crack, but WHEN it will crack.
Asphalt driveways cover a very large area so as the ground shifts and moves the asphalt needs to “give”. That means it has to crack somewhere to give and over time it will crack. So yes. An asphalt driveway will in fact crack.
In comparison, concrete driveways have what’s called controlled joints. Those joints or seams are put into the concrete while it’s still wet so as the concrete dries and cures, it will crack in the control joints and not through the field. With asphalt, since there are no controlled joints, it’s going to crack somewhere in the field of the asphalt.
If your driveway is fairly new and you begin seeing an excessive amount of asphalt cracks within a couple of weeks or a couple of months after it’s been installed there are a variation of other issues to be concerned about.
Worse, if area’s begin alligatoring or cracking in a way that looks similar to an alligators back that could potentially be a much bigger issue. The asphalt more than likely was not installed properly. There may be sub-grade problems… but very unlikely. In this case, you’ll want to call the installation contractor back and have them take a look at it.
But a lot of times we find the unethical, “fly by night” rip off contractors won’t even call you back if you have problems. More than likely because they paved the driveway to thin and they know it. So they know exactly why you’re calling and they won’t return your phone calls and continue to avoid you. If you do get a hold of them, they’ll promise to come back and fix the driveway… but never show up.
This is all covered in our eBook and video series, The Asphalt Paving Scams Playbook: How to Outsmart Dishonest Asphalt Paving Contractors and Protect Your Hard-Earned Money So make sure you check that out before you hire any contractor.
On the other hand, if you have already had your driveway paved and think you may have been a victim of an asphalt scam, file a complaint and we’ll try to help.
When it comes to cracks, you can count on them. But when and where? That’s the real question.
