Does your driveway look worn out? Or is it starting to fade and crack? If that’s the case, you should note that your driveway can affect the curb appeal of your property. Sadly, most people hold on to repairing their driveways until they start noticing major issues like water drainage problems and potholes. However, this should be the case.
You should always schedule periodical driveway upgrades—especially during the summertime. Generally, summertime is the perfect period to update your driveway and address some of these issues. With that said, let’s look at some of the things to keep in mind when upgrading your driveway.
Paving material
The first thing you need to consider is the paving material. While concrete comes in various options, it can be quite difficult for you to find a pre-fab material that perfectly matches your budget. Here are some of the most common materials used when upgrading driveways:
- Asphalt pavement – This paving material tends to be less expensive than other types. However, asphalt can fill up with water rather easily, leading to drainage problems down the road. On the upside, asphalt pavements come in various textures and designs, allowing you to choose a layout that best fits your property.
- Pea gravel – Though this option is slightly more expensive than asphalt pavements, it’s far more durable. However, it also tends to be less aesthetically appealing.
- Concrete pavement – This paving material is typically the most expensive and durable choice for your driveway—especially since you can customize the layout and design as you like. On top of that, concrete comes in a wide range of textures and colors—so it’s easier to find something that perfectly matches your property.
Drainage solutions
If there are no major drainage issues on your property, then you’re all set to begin work on updating your driveway. However, before you start this process, it’s important that you first mark where each water outlet is located—such as drains and downspouts.
This step isn’t 100% necessary; however, it makes sense because it can help prevent any work from happening near these areas—which could ultimately cause damage to both outlets and the new surface of your driveway.
Also, note that if there’s stagnant water anywhere on your property after setting up temporary markers, then this means that there are some drainage issues on your property.
Lastly, if you’re experiencing major issues with water drainage on the property—such as pooling or puddles—after completing updating your driveway, then it may be time to get in contact with a professional who will help encourage the proper flow of water throughout your property.
Even though there are ways to fix these drainage problems on your own, it is best to leave these issues up to a professional. This is because they usually have more advanced tools at their disposal—which can make solving these types of problems much easier for them from the very beginning.
Sealer
Once you have marked the location of all necessary outlets, it’s time for you to mark off where new layers will be placed—which includes marking off where any new edges need to be placed around your driveway.
Also, you should use spray paint or chalk to draw out how much space is required between each layer—this step helps ensure that you don’t accidentally apply any materials on top of one another during this part of the process. Then after applying the sealer, it needs at least 24 hours to dry up before applying any additional layers of paint.
Add layers
As mentioned before, you should create some space between each layer as you apply them on top of your existing driveway. If anything overlaps, then this could cause issues with both texture and color—and may even lead to added expense if extra materials need to be purchased for re-applying the materials properly onto the surface of your driveway. This is the main reason why you must use a large enough tarp to ensure that all materials are applied at a safe distance from one another.
Once everything is dry or completely hardened, it’s time to add additional material around the edges of your property—this step helps ensure that water doesn’t run off the sides of your driveway when it rains.
To make this part of the process easier, you should use a garden hose to help draw out where the edges will be placed to learn how much materials are needed. Then once that’s finished, it needs at least 24 hours (ideally longer) for everything to completely dry up before applying any sealer.
There’s one more thing you need to know about updating your driveway. If there was ever a time when you experienced foundation damage on your property from natural elements—such as water, weeds, or vegetation—then get rid of all grass and weeds near the affected area before adding any new surface layers on top of paint on its own.
The reason being is that these things will probably grow out of control on top of your driveway, which can lead to additional maintenance problems.
Bottom Line
According to the Florida asphalt paving experts from ABC Paving, upgrading your driveway around summertime doesn’t always need to cost a lot of money. Sometimes, it can be as simple as making sure you use the proper materials for protecting your existing driveway before adding new layers on top.
Suppose there are any issues with drainage or standing water after doing so. In that case, getting in contact with a professional is usually the best solution—and this also applies regardless of whether you live in an urban area or rural location because everyone will benefit anyway.
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