Your driveway is one of the first things guests will see when they come to your home. If you want to make a good first impression, then your driveway needs to look good and provide a smooth driving surface, as no one likes feeling their car rattle as they go over cracks and holes.
With all the weather changes that driveways endure over the months and years, along with vehicles driving over them every day, wear and tear is natural. One way to keep your driveway in good condition is resurfacing it. This tends to be more effective than constantly patching it up, and it’s considerably cheaper than completely redoing the driveway. For resurfacing, a contractor replaces only the top layer on your driveway. But how can you tell when it’s the right time to resurface your driveway? Watch for a few common warning signs.
1. Excessive Cracking
Your driveway is going to accumulate some cracks over time, as that’s just part of the aging process. What you need to look for is excessive cracking. This could be a large number of cracks developing in the driveway, or it could be a few cracks that are either getting long or deep. According to Wright Construction Company, when your driveway has many cracks, it becomes weaker and more susceptible to further damage, which will just make repairs more difficult. You should resurface your driveway as soon as the cracks start getting out of hand.
2. A Weathered Appearance
The sun alone will cause your driveway to fade over time, giving it an aged look. You don’t need to worry if your driveway has faded a bit, but once it starts looking especially haggard, then it’s time to strongly consider resurfacing it. At this point, the driveway is weaker than it was before, and you can expect other problems besides just a weathered appearance to soon follow.
3. Crumbling or Eroding
When sections of your driveway start to break off or erode, it ruins the appearance. More importantly, it makes it harder for people to drive or park on your driveway, as they have to avoid those areas where it’s crumbling. It can even present a hazard when you’re walking on the pavement, as you could lose your footing easily and twist an ankle. Driveway erosion is one issue that can cause your driveway to rapidly deteriorate. It’s best to resurface as soon as possible when your driveway looks eroded, because if you wait, the issue could develop to the point where you need to repave it instead, which will come with a much bigger bill.
4. Pooling Water and Other Drainage Problems
Is water pooling in certain areas of your driveway, or running down the middle of it? If so, that’s a sign that the driveway has drainage issues, and this can dramatically affect the driveway’s lifespan. Resurfacing the driveway when this happens can lead to a surface with better drainage, so water stops accumulating. As an added bonus, you won’t have to dodge puddles when you’re walking along your driveway as it’s raining.
5. Potholes
As the ground beneath your driveway’s pavement expands and contracts, it can wear the pavement down and cause cracking. As cars drive over the area over and over, it will put further way on the pavement that leads to the formation of a pothole.
The method you choose to fix potholes depends on the extent of the damage. If the potholes in your driveway haven’t gotten too deep yet, then you can likely solve the problem by resurfacing your driveway. For deep potholes, you may need to repave the driveway. As with the other issues, it’s important to fix the problem as soon as you spot it to minimize repair costs.
Time is of the essence when it comes to driveway repairs, as whether you resurface or repave your driveway often comes down to how soon you have the repair done. While resurfacing is an excellent way to extend the life of your driveway, keep in mind that you can only do it so many times, and eventually you will need to repave the driveway.
