Tips on Patching Blacktop and Asphalt
Tips on Patching Blacktop and Asphalt
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©2017 Tim Carter
Square Edges: The sides of the hole to be patched must be vertical. Don't expect to pour cold patch materials in a depression or sunken area of blacktop and expect it to last. The crisp vertical faces of a hole act as retaining walls for the patching products.
Remove Loose Debris: Once you have created clean edges on the hole, remove loose debris from the bottom of the pothole. If the pothole is deeper than 2 inches, then use this coarse blacktop and other crushed stone as fill.
Compact Base: Use a steel tamping plate, a 4x4 or other tools to really compact the stone base. Avoid using rounded gravel as a base. Always use crushed, angular stone.
Correct Thickness: The ideal depth of asphalt patching material is between 1.5 and 2 inches. If you install it greater than 2 inches in depth, it can take much longer for the high performance adhesives to fully cure!
Compact Patch - Do NOT Seal!: After the patching material is in place and about 3/8 of an inch above the surrounding pavement, use a steel tamper to firmly compact the cold patch material. Check it for low spots with a straight edge. Do not under any circumstances cover the patch with asphalt sealer. Wait a minimum of 30 days. The patch needs to be exposed to the air so it can cure.
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Crack and Edge Sealers: Once the patch has cured, you can use a high performance crack filler to seal the edge between the old blacktop and the new patch. Use a 1/2 inch wide disposable paint brush to spread the crack filler so it bridges the crack evenly.
Filling Cracks: Most crack fillers will settle slightly as the water in them evaporates. You can fill a crack level and let it dry and then refill, or you can experiment and see if you can carefully overfill the crack leaving a slight hump to see if the material dries level. Deep cracks may need to be filled with coarse, dry sand before you add the liquid crack filler!
Companion Articles: High Performance Asphalt Repair Products, Asphalt (Blacktop) Patching Material, Asphalt Patching
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