Asphalt Driveway Deterioration

[Mike Lamb]

This asphalt driveway has been newly black topped. It has a good bit of cracking and surface deterioration. What sort of life do you think this has left? I have no idea.

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[Inspectorjoe]

Are you sure a new layer was installed? It sure looks like spayed-on sealer was applied over an old deteriorated surface.

[Les]

I'm with Joe.

I would call it am immediate maintenance issue if it were for a commercial building. For residential it might get a bit tricky because the sealer is failing (likely poorly applied) and the fix would be messy and maybe costly.

[Mike Lamb]

Sorry. I used the wrong terminology. It looks like a mop or spray sealer. I'm wondering if this is a concern for the buyer? What sort of maintenance?

[kurt]

Depends on who you're talking to. If it's a rep from the Asphalt Paving Council, they'll say it's toast. If you talk to some of the local pavers, they'll say it needs a top coat. If you talk to a guy that sells sealer, it needs sealing, etc., etc.

I tell my customers (essentially) the above. It needs maintenance, and they should expect repairs, meaning either a cold patch or stripping out bad chunks and replacing it, which is just putting off the inevitable.

Most driveways in Chicago aren't installed well; a couple inch base and an inch topcoat. They don't hold up. When they get to the condition you're seeing, all the sealant in the world only puts off replacement for a few years.

[allseason]

That type of mosaic is often caused by sealing the driveway to often, say every one or two years repeatedly.

[Eric B]

I am also in the too frequently applied camp.