Tips on Patching Blacktop and Asphalt

Tips on Patching Blacktop and Asphalt

©2017 Tim Carter

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 4x4 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. The patch needs to be exposed to the air so it can cure.

Do you need to patch your asphalt? Save time and money by using my Asphalt/Blacktop/Tar & Chip Installation & Repair Checklist. I offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee.

Crack and Edge Sealers: Once the patch has cured, you can use a high performance crack filler to seal the edge between the old blacktop and the new patch. Use a 1/2 inch wide disposable paint brush to spread the crack filler so it bridges the crack evenly.

Filling Cracks: Most crack fillers will settle slightly as the water in them evaporates. You can fill a crack level and let it dry and then refill, or you can experiment and see if you can carefully overfill the crack leaving a slight hump to see if the material dries level. Deep cracks may need to be filled with coarse, dry sand before you add the liquid crack filler!

Companion Articles:   High Performance Asphalt Repair Products, Asphalt (Blacktop) Patching Material, Asphalt Patching

Column B283