Tim,
I just read your column about blacktop/asphalt overlays in the Great Falls Tribune here in Great Falls, Montana . My problem here is that my asphalt driveway is uneven and crumbling. I put a sealer on it 2 years ago and I guess it only lasts a short time.
Can an old asphalt surface be reheated and smoothed out or is there a product I can put over it to smooth it out? I prefer not to tear it out and start all over again. The previous owner is the one who put it in. Can a layer of concrete be put over the old asphalt and if so how thick would it have to be to allow vehicles to drive on it? I read your article on tar and chip driveways on your web sight. Can this be put over the top of the old asphalt also?
I am happy to here that you enjoyed your trip to Big Sky, Montana. We really like Montana except where we live the wind blows alot.
Thank you,
Bill Mahoney
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Bill,
You need special equipment to reheat asphalt paving. And even then it doesn't work well as the lighter-weight oils in the asphalt have log since evaporated. These lightweight oils give the asphalt its plasticity when it is first made.
You could install concrete over an asphalt base, but I would not put less than four inches of steel reinforced concrete. My guess is that you do not have the luxury of doing that as this might put the concrete higher than surrounding sidewalk, garage slabs, etc.
Tar and chip can go over asphalt, but if the old asphalt moves, the tar and chip might start to look shabby. Remember, the tar and chip is a thin coating and it mimics what it covers. My tar and chip driveway looks smooth because the gravel base below it was groomed as smooth as one of those fresh corduroy runs at Big Sky. You need to bite the proverbial bullet and take out the defective asphalt. It is easy to do with the right equipment. Once removed, you have quite a few options.
Tim
W3ATB
www.askthebuilder.com