New Asphalt Driveway
We are pleased that you have found our website and we are confident this article will answer all your questions for a long-lasting driveway.
Since the liquid asphalt in the new 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 driveway 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 the blacktop and the 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 blacktop 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 and also under the tires.
The edges are the weakest part of your new blacktop driveway due to the lack of side support. Avoid driving on the edges since they can crack and crumble. We suggest building up the sides of your driveway with topsoil. This will support the edges and enhance the appearance after the grass is grown.
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 a cold patch. Any hairline cracks that may have developed over the winter due to contraction and expansion of the ground should be filled with crack filler. These products can be purchased from your local building supply store.
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