Tim,
I just moved into a new home in Maryland, but the builder did not pave the driveway due to the cold weather. According to him he said it was impossible to do the driveway. This has turned living in our new home into a nightmare.
Can you tell me when it is too cold to lay asphalt? When can I expect to stop tracking mud and debris into my house? Thanks,
George
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George,
Cold weather does have a serious adverse effect on asphalt or blacktop. First, the plants that make it shut down in cold weather. Typically they will close the first week of Decemebr here in the lower Midwest. If the weather holds and daytime temperatures stay in the 40-50F range, it is possible for the plants to extend their season. They will open in cold weather for special jobs, but at a very high cost. If the ground has frozen, you never want to install new asphalt until such time as the ground thaws and is compacted.
But your weather can be mild in Maryland during the winter, so maybe the asphalt plants stayed open. You can find out easily by calling them. Open your Yellow Pages and look under the heading "Asphalt - Blacktop". You will eventually find the names and numbers of the plants that make the product.
If you want a smooth driveway that looks like velvet, then you should install asphalt when the air temperature is above 60F and the ground temperature is nearly the same. Cold temperatures cause the liquid asphalt cement in the mixture to solidify before the rollers have a chance to close the surface. The finished surface of the driveway can look horrible if installed in cold temperatures.
Why can't the builder come back and dress the top of the drive with two inches of crushed gravel to help minimize the mud problem until such time as the drive can be paved? This extra gravel can be removed just before the installation of the asphalt in case it raises the driveway level too high.
Tim Carter
www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB