Patching Blacktop and Asphalt Patches

by Ryan Moxness
(Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

"Tips on Patching Blacktop and Asphalt"

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 4 x 4 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.