Extending the life of your asphalt surfaces is crucial not only to improve the look of your area but also to save you money. The care and maintenance you put into your driveway, patio, walkways, etc. will eliminate costly asphalt replacement as well as leave your exterior looking beautiful and well kept, adding significant value to your home and property.
Throughout this course you will learn how to properly maintain and take care of your asphalt surfaces. We will guide you through a step by step process and give you all the information and free expert advice you will need to keep your asphalt surfaces looking healthy and new.
Preparation and planning is the key to success in most things in life...and Asphalt maintenance and seal coating are no exceptions.
Preparation
1. Clearing Weeds
The first step in sealcoating preparation is clearing weeds from the asphalt surface. This is one of the most important parts of the preparation process. You want to make sure you are working with a completely clean, weed free area in order to get the best sealcoating results.
Use a lawn edging machine to dig out and scrape off all grass and weeds that may be encroaching on the asphalt area or inhabiting any cracks. It is beneficial to invest in a lawn edging machine, such as the Billy Goat Grazor, as it will come in handy for all of your sealcoating jobs.
The Billy Goat Grazor is a powered crack cleaning system that removes vegetation and other debris from cracks and crevices. Using a system such as this will save you a lot of time and effort.
Depending on the size of the asphalt area you are sealcoating, you can use a stiff broom to remove the dirt and debris off the driveway or if it is quite a large area you can use an electric or gas powered blower. You will find that you will save time with the "Blower."
2. Remove Loose Asphalt
Remove loose material from the edges of small potholes and large cracks. Use a large screw driver, Ryno Crack Brush, water from a hose or a gas powered blower to clean the dust and debris off the surface. It is important to wear protective eye wear when doing this as you may get dust and dirt in your eyes!
Carefully inspect the asphalt surface. If patching or crack filling large cracks is required, plan on making the repairs early in the day so they have adequate time to cure before applying the sealer.
3. Scrub or Pressure Wash Surface
Once you have removed all of the loose asphalt and debris off of the surface, scrub the entire area with a stiff broom and remove all of the remaining dirt and oil. Pay particular attention to areas to be crack filled or patched. Again, for large surfaces you may want to use a pressure washer to save time and energy.
Oil stains must be removed with an oil stain remover. If you do not remove the grease and oil stains before sealing the surface, the oil or grease will eventually eat its way back up through the new sealcoat or repaired area. You can purchase oil stain remover directly from Asphalt Kingdom.
Using a rag, cloth or broom, apply the degreaser directly to the stain. Scrub the degreaser onto the stain and then let sit for five to ten minutes. Rinse off with water. Throw a light coat of dust on the removed stain and move it around with a broom. This will fade the area out and prepare it for sealing.
It is important to determine if the stains have significantly damaged the asphalt. In order to do this, take a screw driver and press on the stain. If the screw driver sinks into the oil stain it means that the asphalt has been burnt from the acidic properties in the oil and will need to be replaced.
To remove the damaged asphalt, you must heat the oil with a blow torch and lightly scrape the stained asphalt with a shovel. This hole will need to then be replaced with a cold patch that you can buy directly from us (1-866-399-5562). Directions on how to patch a hole and crack filling is discussed in Part 2 of your asphalt course.
4. Use Water Pressure
If you are completing this sealing job by hand, using a roller, squeegee or brush, then please hose the area down with as much water pressure as possible. If you are using one of our sealcoating spray systems there is no need to wash the asphalt area down with water as the sealer is applied under immense pressure.
5. Remove Debris
Use a gas powered blower to remove all remaining dirt from the cracks to be filled. Using the blower, push all the remaining debris to a corner of the asphalt surface where you can then bag it and dispose of it properly. The cracks must be very clean and dry before filling.
Asphalt is not "green" as a rule but for the sake of the environment and for easier application and cleanup, we suggest using an asphalt sealer that is water based.
You can contact us directly for our pricelist on the tools you will need to get this asphalt maintenance job done properly. We supply all asphalt maintenance products, tools and equipment shipped right to your door so do not hesitate to ask.
Tools Needed
Here is a list of the "Tools" that you will need to get the job done properly:
Remember:
- Check the weather forecast to allow adequate time to complete the job. We suggest you check a two-day weather forecast and avoid cold weather (below 50°F) or rain.
- If you plan on sealing the surface on the same day you have filled or sealed any cracks, make sure to allow the asphalt area to be warmed by the sun before applying the sealcoat.
- Wear work clothes and boots. This is asphalt - you will get dirty!
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| The Billy Goat Grazor Gas powered Crack Cleaning system is invaluable for the sealcoating contractor who has to remove vegetation and other debris from cracks and crevices before laying down crackfiller and applying sealant to the asphalt surface. |
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| The A.K. Universal Cleanser Degreaser is perfect for use on asphalt or concrete driveways, roadways, and parking lots. It is a powerful degreaser for large jobs. This degreaser leaves no surface residue or white streaks and leaves a slip free surface eliminating safety hazards. |
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| The Billy Goat Blower is a gas powered blower that is used to clean thousands of square feet in just seconds. It is an all around tool used for cleaning out cracks and crevices as well as blowing debris off of your asphalt surface. |
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