- Visit the Solution Center to Explore Articles
- How To Repair Cracks In Driveway
- How To Fill Cracks In Driveway Concrete
- How To Patch Cracks In Driveway
- Interior
- Exterior
- Lawn
- More
- Articles
You don’t need to fill all the cracks with sand, but it’s recommended that you fill cracks larger than the size of your nail with sand before sealing with the crack sealing tar. The sand will keep the tar from settling deep in the cracks and cracking itself. It’s also more cost efficient to use sand than it is to fill everything with 100% tar. Cracks of this nature may never get any larger, but water can seep into them, freeze, and expand, causing the cracks to widen, so it’s a good idea to seal them with the flexible Advanced Polymer. The most frequent cause of cracks in your asphalt driveway is water that has seeped below the surface and expanded or contracted with freezing and thawing temperatures. After patching and filling any cracks or dips in your asphalt driveway, you may also wish to seal your driveway to prevent any further water seepage. You don’t need to fill all the cracks with sand, but it’s recommended that you fill cracks larger than the size of your nail with sand before sealing with the crack sealing tar. The sand will keep the tar from settling deep in the cracks and cracking itself. It’s also more cost efficient to use sand than it is to fill everything with 100% tar. Over time, the driveway will crack where it meets the foundation and the water will run into the foundation. Homes with a concrete driveway that runs from the house foundation can have water issues. If the driveway was built with an improper slope, the water will run towards the foundation. How to Seal Between a Driveway & a House. If you decide to seal a blacktop driveway, you open up a Pandora’s box of problems, in my opinion. The sealer is made up almost exclusively of asphalt. The UV rays will attack this thin coating, and it will begin to harden and fail.
House
HouseX
Auto
AutoX
Health
HealthX
Pets
PetsX
Services
ServicesX
Sealcoating your driveway can improve the value and curb appeal of your home. (Photo courtesy of Angie's List member Alex S. of New Rochelle, N.Y.)
Enter a zip below and get matched to top-rated pros near you.
Expect to pay between $85 and $165 for a 1,000 square foot driveway. The price range depends on location - you will pay on the high-end if you live in a big city. Most driveway contractors charge a minimum - the price per square foot ranges from $.08 to $.16.
How To Repair Cracks In Driveway
If you have an asphalt driveway, you can make it last longer and keep it looking attractive by sealing it annually, or at least every few years. John deere serial number year lookup.
Sealcoating is a job you can do yourself, and it is relatively inexpensive to hire someone to do it for you.
Related Articles
It costs around $5,000 on average to haul away an old asphalt driveway and replace it with a new one. This is based on several factors.
Choosing the driveway material that’s best for you often depends on your climate and budget.
Whether it's concrete or asphalt, driveway repair can be expensive. Is it better to patch, refinish or replace?
How Does Driveway Sealing Work?
Whether your driveway is concrete or asphalt, sealing it is an important part of keeping it looking like new for a long time. Asphalt driveway sealer, which sits on top of the driveway, acts as a barrier that prevents water, ice, car fluids, the sun, salt and other chemicals from staining and eating away at the surface of the driveway.
The frequency with which you should use driveway seal will vary based on your location. Homeowners in climates with cold, harsh winters and numerous freeze-thaw cycles will have to seal their driveways every one or two years. Those in much milder climates can probably do it as little as every four years.
You'll want to wait before you seal a new asphalt driveway until it's had time to cure, generally 90 days after installation.
What it Costs to Seal a Driveway Yourself
Sealing the driveway yourself will be cheaper than hiring a professional, but you're still going to have to fork over some cash to do the job right. It requires some basic tools, including a cleaning brush broom, gloves and a squeegee. Then you'll need to buy the chemicals: a cleaner to prepare the surface, a crack filler, and the sealer itself.
According to CostHelper, DIY supplies cost about about $50 to $200, depending on the driveway's condition and size. These material costs can vary wildly by region and year, so be sure to price your supplies at your local home improvement store before embarking on the job. Also, this price doesn't factor in any costs incurred from the time you'll spend doing the job, instead of other things.
Hiring a professional to seal a driveway can cost $200 to $500, or more, according to CostHelper.
The average cost for materials to seal a driveway in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City is about 38 cents per square foot. Using that figure, it would cost about $190 for the materials to seal a 500 square foot driveway. However, the cost of installation isn't factored in that price, so the final price tag would be much higher.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire an Asphalt Sealcoating Company?
On the surface, hiring a professional to sealcoat your driveway is the more expensive option. Because material costs do vary between regions, it's impossible to nail down a single price for a professional job, but it will probably be from $50 to $100 more expensive per 1,000 square feet than doing the job yourself.
Angie's List members nationwide reported paying an average of $385 for a sealcoat job in 2013. This price will also be a little more expensive if a significant part of your driveway abuts objects because these areas will have to be done by hand instead of rolled, which greatly increases the amount of time the job will take.
On top of doing the job right, a driveway installer will know what products work best in your area, what sealers to avoid altogether, how to make sure the sealer doesn't pool accidentally and how often the driveway will need to be resealed.
For most people, the benefits of getting the job professionally done will far outweigh the savings generated by doing the job themselves. However, for homeowners on a really tight budget who already know how to seal a driveway properly, going it alone can save some money, especially on large driveways.
Just be aware of the hidden costs of not having the job done right, which include eventual driveway damage and having to reseal the driveway earlier than normal.
Editor's note: This is an updated version of a story originally posted February 28, 2013.
![Cracks Cracks](/uploads/1/2/5/0/125008740/556017047.jpg)
Related Articles
Driveway stain removal isn't easy. Consider these tips to clean up your brick, asphalt or concrete driveway.
Driveway extension ideas for homeowners looking to extend or expand a concrete or asphalt driveway.
Installing a new driveway? Find out how to prevent driveway cracks so you can keep your asphalt or concrete driveway looking new for longer.
Get quotes from top-rated pros.
Recommended Articles
Posted by5 years ago
Archived
Hi all, I have an approximately 1/8'-1/4' crack where my driveway meets the side of my house and was wondering what I should use (or if I should seal it at all) to seal it up. I have enough driveway small crack sealer which is good to use for that size gap. It comes out as a liquid so it would be pretty easy and would look nice. Or should I use some type of caulk? I'm in the Philadelphia PA area. Thanks!
How To Fill Cracks In Driveway Concrete
Edit: dang, I forgot to mention its an asphalt driveway not concrete. Sorry.
How To Patch Cracks In Driveway
16 comments