Residential Driveways

 
• 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 weather.
• 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.
• During the first 6-12 months while your driveway is curing, do not park in the same spot every time.
• 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.
• Lawn chairs, and 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. We suggest building up the sides of your    driveway with topsoil. This will support the edges and enhance the appearance after grass has grown.
• Your driveway may look smoother in some areas than in others because of the makeup of blacktop. Blacktop has various   sizes of stone, sand, liquid asphalt, and other ingredients that cause a varied surface texture. Also blacktop areas that have been    raked and spread with hand tools may appear different in texture from those that are spread by machine.
• Avoid gasoline, oil, anti-freeze, power steering and transmission fluid spills and leaks, or any acidic items. These will    dilute the liquid asphalt in your blacktop. Any holes left by these spills should be filled with cold patch. Any hairline cracks that may    have developed over the winter due to the contraction and expansion of the ground should be filled with crack filler. These products    can be purchased from your local building supply store.
• Use of seal coating is at the owner's discretion. The best time to seal, if you wish, is two years after it has been paved. Then    every three to four years thereafter, only if the sealer has worn off. We suggest using a water-based sealant. Some sealing products    have softening agents in them that will soften the fines on the surface of the new asphalt and cause it to peel off.

To insure a quality job, we suggest you call one of the following companies who use proper seal coating products.

FAHRNER ASPHALT                  608-849-6466

DIRECTIONAL STRIPING CO.      608-837-7367

Call us today for a free estimate
608-846-4657

Tri-County Paving Inc.