10 Tips to Maintain Your Driveway

Routine maintenance is essential to ensure your driveway lasts and looks great for as long as possible. Some driveways are more susceptible to general wear and tear and damage, requiring various preventive maintenance solutions.

Learn more about maintaining your driveway to improve curb appeal and avoid damage to vehicles or pedestrians.

The Type of Driveway You Have Matters

Different driveways require different maintenance solutions. For example, flagstone driveways require frequent scrubbing and may not be ideal for heavier vehicles. Concrete and asphalt driveways need resealing every few years to prevent water from penetrating, freezing and cracking them. Brick driveways may need routine weed removal and cleaning to keep the colors vibrant.

Whether your driveway is asphalt, concrete, gravel, brick or flagstone, our driveway maintenance tips will help you keep your driveway in top-notch shape.

How To Maintain Your Driveway

1. Seal Cracks

Water expands when frozen, causing concrete or asphalt to crack. Crack filling will prevent the need for costly driveway repair services. If you’ve noticed cracks in your drive, seal them up as soon as possible.

2. Fill Potholes

Potholes cause the concrete to split and break down, and they also present a hazard to people and vehicles. Fill potholes promptly to avoid cracking and unnecessary damage.

3. Wash Your Driveway

A thorough wash can transform a driveway. Scrubbing away built-up dirt, sand and other debris can make your driveway look brand new. Oil and grease cause discoloration and significantly alter the beauty of your driveway. A power wash will remove tougher stains to revitalize your driveway instantly.

4. Avoid Chemical De-Icers and Salt

Chemical de-icers and salt can cause scaling and spalling. We recommend avoiding salt and de-icer products and opting for sand, kitty litter or even coffee grounds instead to provide traction.

5. Avoid Standing Water

You can install downspouts to prevent standing water from penetrating your driveway’s surface. A downspout improves drainage during heavy rainfall. You can also brush away standing water with a large broom.

6. Fix Spalling or Scaling

Symptoms of spalling and scaling from salt and chemical de-icers include discoloration, peeling or chipping. You can patch the area with a color-matching compound or resurface your driveway for a clean, even finish.

7. Be Careful Around the Edges of Your Driveway

A driveway’s material, age and frequency of use all play a part in its durability. An older driveway’s edges or stones may crack or chip under the weight of a sizable load. Take care to ensure heavy loads are parked farther from the edge of the drive.

8. Shovel and Plow With Care

We recommend avoiding steel shovels and plows. Instead, opt for a plastic shovel to avoid damaging the driveway’s surface. You can also lift the blade of a snowplow to ensure it doesn’t scrape the driveway as you plow.

9. Reseal Your Asphalt Driveway

Asphalt and concrete driveways require resealing every couple of years to prevent cracks and potholes. A quality reseal will prevent water from penetrating the surface of your drive and maintain its longevity.

10. Remove Tree Roots Near Your Driveway

Tree roots are insidious because you often can’t see the problem until it’s too late. Roots can push up your driveway, causing it to shift, crack and break apart. You can remove the tree, prune the roots or reseal the damage.

Contact The Paving Lady for Professional Asphalt Repair Services

When you need to reseal, spruce up or repair flaws in your asphalt or concrete driveways, call on our skilled team of paving experts at The Paving Lady. We’re a leading concrete paving and asphalt paving repair company based in Southern Florida. We fill cracks, patch up imperfections and mill your asphalt to restore your driveway to its former glory.

Maintain Your Driveway With These 10 Easy Tips