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Blacktop Care Tips

1. Hardening - Since the liquid asphalt in blacktop needs time to harden and cure, usually 6-12 months, your driveway will remain soft and pliable until then. You may walk on your new driveway immediately, but keep automobile traffic off it for at least 2-3 days and even longer in hotter temperatures. Even after the blacktop has cured, do not expect it to be as hard as concrete.

Hardening — Team Taking Care of Asphalt in Paducah, KY

2. Puddles - Your new blacktop will soften and harden as temperatures rise and fall. Watering down your driveway with a hose on hot days will cool and temporarily harden the blacktop. This is helpful but not mandatory. Although every effort is made to avoid puddles in your driveway, some small ones are inevitable depending on the natural slope and drainage of your ground.

3. Auto Use - A blacktop driveway is usually scarred by automobiles starting out too fast or pulling in and turning the power steering while the automobile is sitting still.

4. Varied Parking - During the first 6-12 months while your driveway is curing, do not park in the same spot every time.

5. Stands and Ramps - Avoid using jack stands or car ramps unless a piece of plywood is placed under them to help distribute the weight.

6. Large Vehicles - Excessive weight from large heavy vehicles can depress your new blacktop. Keep oil, trucks, concrete trucks, and any other heavy trucks off your new driveway. When storing campers for long periods of time, place a piece of plywood under the tongue jack and under the tires.

7. Point of Pressure - Lawn chairs, bicycles and motorcycle kickstands exert weight on concentrated areas and will make holes and depressions in your new driveway. Especially watch out for the pointy high heels during the warm months when your driveway is new.

8. Paved Edges - The edges are the weakest part of your driveway due to the lack of side support. Avoid driving on the edges since they will crack and crumble in time. We suggest building up the sides of your driveway with topsoil. This will support the edges and enhance the appearance after grass is growing.

9. Grass - It is not unusual for some grass and weeds to grow in asphalt. Having lime and being black is just like a greenhouse when the seeds have been lying dormant in the gravel for some time.

10. Textured Surface - Your driveway may look smoother in some areas than in others because of the makeup of blacktop. Blacktop has various sizes of stone, sand, liquid asphalt and other ingredients, which cause a varied texture of the surface. Also, blacktop areas that have been raked and spread with hand tools may appear with a different texture from those spread by machine.

Large Vehicles — Truck Pouring Black Sand in Paducah, KY

11. Fluid Spills - Avoid gasoline, oil, antifreeze, power steering and transmission fluid spills and leaks. These will dilute the liquid asphalt in your blacktop. Any holes left by these spills should be filled.

12. Sealants - To preserve your new driveway, it is advisable to seal it after it has been paved. Sealing too soon, however, may cause damage to your new drive. The best time to seal is 3-12 months after it has been paved, and every 2-3 years thereafter. Because blacktop is naturally porous, water can seep into and throughout the paving. This not only causes deterioration, but also results in ridges and unevenness due to frost and freezing. A blacktop is also softened and broken up by gasoline, lube oil, grease, road salts and antifreeze, which drip from cars. A sealer will protect the blacktop with an imperious coating that is resilient to these harmful elements. Unprotected driveways remain porous, dry out, become rough and lose their life rapidly.

*If you follow these helpful hints, you will ensure that your new blacktop will be looking good and last for years to come. If we can assist you at any time in the future, simply give us a call. Thank you for your interest in Central Paving Company. We look forward to serving you!