ASPHALT CARE & MAINTENANCE
DMJ Asphalt located in Medina, Minnesota, is your first choice for asphalt and pavement maintenance needs. For three generations, our experienced staff has been supplying the industrial, commercial, and residential industries with the best value for their dollar. Contact us today at 763-478-6878
for top-quality maintenance services.
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
Gasoline, oil, or
any petroleum product can be damaging to your driveway. A
concentrated amount can eat through the surface causing it to soften
and deteriorate over a period of time. You should try to minimize any
petroleum product spillage on the asphalt pavement. If any is
spilled, items such as “floor dry” or kitty litter should be
applied immediately to help the situation, and aid in soaking up the
spill. For large or very bad areas the only long term, permanent
solution is to remove the contaminated area and install a patch.
WEEDS
Weeds and grasses
may grow on or at the edges of your driveway, or where your driveway
abuts other structures such as your garage floor or sidewalk.
Amazingly, a dandelion has approximately 2000 pounds of pressure per
square inch, and can easily push through your asphalt. For prevention
of weed or grass growth, a common weed killer can be used such as
“Round Up” or “Weed-Be-Gone.”
EDGES
In most cases the
new driveway and your existing lawn are not a perfect match. Some
backfilling may be necessary to accomplish a flush condition. You can
do this by filling the space between the driveway and your existing
lawn with topsoil, and then seeding or sod the area. On the contrary,
the new driveway may be lower than your existing yard elevation. In
this case excavation and re-grading would be necessary. Backfilling
should be done immediately following your driveway installation to
avoid unnecessary erosion.
SURFACE & TIRE MARKS
Any objects with
pressure on a small area will also mark or depress the surface. Items
such as, but not limited to trailer hitches, car jacks, bicycle and
motorcycle kickstands, lawn chairs, ladders, and high heels, can
cause surface markings. And the most common are tire marks. Even if
you stay off of the pavement for the recommended amount of time, tire
marks are usually unavoidable and can appear up to 2 years after the
driveway is installed. Structurally they do not hurt the driveway,
they are just an aesthetic mark. If the tire marks are extreme, a
heat and ski process can be done by one of our asphalt maintenance
teams.
ROUGH APPEARANCE
Some areas of
your driveway may appear to be rough or porous with more aggregate
(rocks) showing. This is a characteristic of asphalt, and a more
uniform appearance will be attained with time. Asphalt is a
black-semi solid by-product of the production of gasoline from crude
oil. When used as a binding agent in combination with aggregate (sand
& gravel/rock), it produces the asphalt mix used in paving
streets, highways, parking lots, and driveways. If you view any of
these asphalt surfaces you can see that an asphalt surface can be
somewhat porous or irregular in appearance and texture. If you do not
like the visual look of the asphalt, a black emulsion seal coat
can be applied to give the driveway a smoother more uniform
appearance, though it is not necessary.
