A Guide To Asphalt Resurfacing

Resurfacing your asphalt is a great way to breathe new life into your surface. Of course, asphalt surfaces always look better when they are black and clean. Over time, the black color is bound to fade a little bit. Additionally, cracks and potholes are going to pop up. Obviously, homeowners want to get rid of these and restore the natural, new look of black asphalt. There are actually a few different ways to go about it. This article explains a two affordable ways of resurfacing asphalt.

Asphalt Overlays

An asphalt overlay or is one of the most popular solutions. Professional pavers will apply a layer of asphalt over the top of their existing surface. This is basically a thin layer of asphalt that will bring back the original black coloring. While this is a very effective, fast, and affordable solution, it isn't going to fix the cracks or holes underneath it. That is, many people will just put the overlay on top of the existing asphalt as it is and expect it to solve the problems. However, after a couple of years, it is very likely that the cracks underneath will start to show.

So, this means you need to patch the existing asphalt surface before you can apply an overlay. Of course, some people still try to avoid this because it is much cheaper to just add the overlay without patching all of the problem areas.

Sealcoat Finishes

A sealcoat finish is similar to an overlay in that it is only a temporary solution. A sealcoat is kind of like a paint finish. It is not actual asphalt, but it will cover your surface in a nice, fresh black finish. Sealcoat is even thinner than an asphalt overlay, so it isn't going to fix any of your cracks. Once again, you will need to repair your cracks and holes before you apply a sealcoat finish. One advantage of a sealcoat finish is that they are easier to self apply. The products are sold and home improvement stores, and they don't even need to be heated up.

Whether you are going to apply a sealcoat finish or an asphalt overlay, you will need to do a little bit of preparation work if you want a permanent and durable solution. Nonetheless, both of these options are much cheaper and quicker than completely removing your old asphalt surface and replacing it with an entirely new one.

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