How To Fix Small Asphalt Cracks
Cracks in your asphalt are usually inevitable. However, most small cracks will have no impact on the actual load bearing capability of the slab. But, if you leave them unpatched, they can grow and become, at the very least, a trip hazard. This is why it is so important to fix cracks in your asphalt as soon as possible, even if they are very small. This article explains how you can use pre-mixed, cold formula asphalt crack filler to fix small cracks and holes before they become a serious problem.
Cleaning and Prepping the Crack
The first thing you need to do is prepare the crack that you're going to patch. Obviously, you need to sweep the perimeter very well. In fact, you might be able to get a more thorough clean if you spray it down with a hose or pressure washer. Then, you should pull any weeds or grass growing out of the crack. However, you don't want to take all of the dirt out of the crack. In fact, you might need to add some dirt to the crack to help fill it up. Dirt is obviously much cheaper than crack filler, so you want to make sure that there are no holes or cavities underneath the crack. You don't want to have all of your crack filler sink into the crack and disappear without filling it up. First, pour some dirt into the crack and then sweep over it. Try to level out the dirt until it is about 1" from the top of the asphalt.
Using Crack Filler
Cold formula crack fillers are obviously the easiest to use because you don't need to try and keep the mixture heated up during the job. Also, they come in easy to use, squeezable bottles, so you can just pour directly into the crack. If you are filling small cracks, just fill them up with crack filler until the liquid reaches the top and level it. However, if your crack is a couple of inches wide, you might want to pour the filler until it overflows the crack and starts to seep out onto the asphalt surface. Then, you can use a squeegee to flatten out the overflown patch and create a solid seal over the crack. This is especially helpful if both sides of the crack has shifted and is not level.
As you can see, filling small cracks in your household is very simple. However, it is better to do them as soon as possible, rather than waiting for the crack to get larger and become more expensive and time consuming to fix. For more information, contact professionals like Crackerjack Mud Jacking Inc.
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