Paving ways for repairs to driveway

Most homeowners forget about their driveway, but it plays a big role when it comes to proper water drainage around your home.

Driveways and pathways around your home should help direct water away from it. They shouldn’t be completely level to the house, and they definitely shouldn’t be directing water towards it.

That’s why driveways and pathways should slant slightly away from the home, following the grading around the house. If they’re level, you’re going to get water pooling around the home, and if they’re slanted towards the house you’re actually driving water directly toward your garage and/or foundation, which increases the chance of a leak.

MATERIALS

When we talk about driveway materials, the top three choices are asphalt, interlocking stone and concrete (or stamped concrete).

Asphalt is the least expensive. It performs well and it’s what most homeowners opt for. But if you’re going to have big heavy trucks or toys sitting on your driveway it can damage it and wear it out prematurely. And repairing asphalt isn’t easy. In most cases, it’s a complete do-over where it gets ripped up (resurfaced) and repaved.

Interlocking stone is a good option. Not only is it strong, but also the gaps in between the stones allow for water drainage and the natural expansion and contraction of materials, so it helps prevent buckling and cracks. Also, fixing and making any repairs is fairly straightforward because it’s usually just replacing damaged stones.

Concrete is typically the top choice. It’s expensive but it can take the most beating. However, salt eats away at concrete, and if there are no gaps for the salt to drain away with melting snow, it will just sit on your driveway, literally eating it away. That’s why we typically seal driveways with a breathable, high-quality sealant.

SEALANTS

Sealing your driveway too often can cause problems, such as cracking and peeling, and not sealing it enough compromises its durability and protection. How often you reseal your driveway depends on the material, where you live, climate, installation, use and wear and tear; but as a guideline some pros suggest once every three years. The best time to reseal your driveway is midsummer. Not only is it hot — so it dries faster and you can use your driveway sooner — but also during the summer materials expand, and if we reseal when the driveway’s materials have fully expanded the pores can take in the sealant better. If you have an asphalt driveway, one thing to keep in mind is use a latex sealant — not oil. Oil sealants might look better and last longer, but they can also cause cracking.

IS IT A DO-OVER?

If your driveway is crumbling and you’re starting to see holes it’s a do-over. Asphalt driveways should have a minimum of 25 centimetres of gravel tamped every five cm followed by a minimum of 10 cm of asphalt on top. So first we make sure we have proper grading. Then we lay the first five cm of gravel, tamp it; add the next five cm, tamp it again, until we have a total of 25 cm of gravel. If you can do it, I would let that layer of gravel sit for an entire year, to give it time to properly compress and compact itself, and then do the asphalt on top. That gives you a solid base that protects against driveway cracks, dips and heaving.