Asphalt lasts a long time if you perform the proper maintenance for it. Part of the maintenance includes patching, resurfacing, and repaving. You should fix any damage and cracks that form in asphalt so you can extend its lifespan. That’s why it’s useful to know the differences crack filling vs. patching vs. repaving so you can identify which one you need.
The best way you can understand the differences in these three repair methods is by understanding what damage and wear can occur on an asphalt lot. The simplest type of damage is small cracks in your asphalt, which occur naturally as people drive over it. If you don’t fix these quickly, they may interlock and “spiderweb”—which is a serious problem. You can also get potholes in your asphalt lots which can cause large issues. Sometimes your asphalt sinks and compresses, becoming uneven; professionals call this settlement.
The most common fix that you’ll use is crack sealing—although it’s no replacement for proper preventive maintenance and sealcoating. This maintenance method is useful for cracks in the asphalt that aren’t large enough to spread across the asphalt. Typically, you use patching for singular spot fixes that don’t cover too large of an area. Patching will be useful as long as your asphalt doesn’t have settlement and the cracks in your patching don’t interconnect. If they do, search for different maintenance answers.
At a certain point, the damage and wear on asphalt will eventually surpass what crack filling and sealcoating can fix. Once your asphalt starts having interconnecting cracks and settlement, consider patching, particularly if your lot is developing potholes or if it’s settling. These problems need bigger fixes than seal coating, so contact professionals capable of this work when you need it. You should continue your regular patching even after you patch your lot.
Crack filling and patching can fix a lot of issues and help extend your lot’s lifetime, but your lot will eventually need repaving. Consider repaving once crack filling and seal coating becomes cost-inefficient, which is roughly when 20 percent of your lot is in bad shape. Although repaving is a great solution to many problems, if there’s foundational damage or too much damage across the lot, you may just need a full replacement.
These are the major difference between crack filling vs. patching vs. repaving and how you should go about using these repairs. Small patching jobs are something you can do yourself, but if the issues are bigger, contact asphalt suppliers and professional contractors.
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Asphalt crack repairs can be a meticulous process. One step you don’t want to skip is routing, as this provides many benefits to sealed cracks.
