These days, the majority of homeowners opt for an asphalt driveway. When compared to other materials (like concrete, gravel, or stone), asphalt is affordable, durable, and long-lasting, which makes it a good choice. Like any driveway material, however, asphalt undergoes lots of wear and can start to break down after many years. If you’ve noticed that areas of your driveway are beginning to crack or have holes in it, you may be wondering whether to repair or replace it.
Consider the age of your driveway – most driveways (if installed correctly) will last around 20 years. If yours is right around this age and isn’t in the best shape, it may be time to just replace it with a fresh asphalt driveway paving. After being exposed to ice, snow, heat, salt, and the wear of vehicles over the years, asphalt simply starts to fail. Trying to repair old asphalt could lead you to repairing it more often than necessary.
Also consider the damage to your driveway. If the extend of the damage is small cracks or divots, these are easily reparable and won’t compromise the integrity of your driveway. If you’ve got larger cracks (more than 1/4-inch wide) or holes (more than a couple inches) in your asphalt, however, it means you probably have issues with the base of your driveway. If you try to simply repair these areas, you’ll only solve the problem temporarily and it would be better to start from the beginning with a new asphalt driveway paving.
If you’re not sure whether to repair or replace your asphalt driveway, give our experts a call. We can assess your asphalt and give you our advice on what we think would be best.
