New Driveway Care

Best Practice for New Driveway Care 

Congratulations on your new driveway! At Reading Asphalt, we are dedicated to ensuring that your new pavement serves you well for many years to come. To maintain its longevity and preserve its appealing appearance, there are several best practices you should follow when it comes to new driveway care.

First and foremost, before laying the asphalt, it’s crucial to properly prepare the subgrade. This entails ensuring that the soil beneath the driveway is stable and well-compacted to prevent future issues caused by settling or shifting of the ground beneath the pavement.

New driveway care is essential to keep your driveway in excellent condition. Make it a habit to sweep away debris such as leaves, dirt, and small rocks, as they can trap moisture and promote the growth of weeds, which can damage the surface.

In order to help ensure the longevity of your asphalt, we have put together a list of care instructions that we ask you to follow for your new driveway care:

• Please be careful with your new pavement, as it is still curing and can be easily damaged. Asphalt takes approximately 2 years to begin to cure, but you can drive on it after about 5 days.
• The most common problems are tire marks made from stationary turning in hot or sunny weather and driving over the edges. Please try to be moving when turning, or the top surface of asphalt will be easily torn or scarred!
• All edges of the driveway must be backfilled to the top surface of the driveway for support, to avoid cracking/crumbling.
• Please keep all vehicles off the pavement for at least 5 days, and longer in hot or humid conditions.
• 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.
• Do not allow heavy vehicles such as oil trucks or concrete trucks to drive on the pavement, as their weight can depress the surface. When storing campers or other large vehicles, use plywood to distribute the weight and prevent damage.
• Avoid driving too fast or making sharp turns on the pavement, as this can scar the surface. Avoid parking in the same spot every time, as this can cause uneven wear. Do not turn your steering wheel back and forth while your car is stationary.
• Do not use bicycle/motorcycle kickstands, jack stands, ladders, chairs, tables, or car ramps, unless a piece of plywood is placed under them to help distribute the weight. Otherwise, they will create holes/depressions.
• Avoid spills and leaks of gasoline, oil, anti-freeze, power steering fluid, and transmission fluid, as these can dilute the asphalt and cause damage. If you notice any hairline cracks in the pavement, fill them with crack filler to prevent further damage.
• To preserve your pavement, we recommend seal coating it every 4-5 years. This will help protect it from the elements and extend its lifespan.

By following these care instructions for new driveway care, you can help ensure that your new asphalt pavement remains in top condition for many years to come.

Request an Asphalt Paving or Seal Coating Estimate

If you are ready to schedule your asphalt paving services, call 781-944-7072 or click to request an estimate.