Important Things for Residential Driveway Maintenance
Winter and spring are long gone and summer is here! Who thinks of spending summers inside homes? Everyone prefers to spend these months outside enjoying the breezy weather, cleaning up the yard and doing routine maintenance of your residential driveway. Because of all the past rain and snowstorms, there have been many elements crushing down the exterior of your home, your lawn, and your driveway.
To help you get going in these summer months, we are putting together a few useful tips for residential driveway maintenance. We will be covering 5 things that can damage your driveway and another list of things that can help preserve the life of your driveway.
Things That Can Damage Your Driveway
- Rock Salt
- Use of Metal Shovels
- Roots of Trees
- Studded Tires
- Ultra Violet Rays
Rock Salt
Rock salt will melt the snow, but this process can seriously damage your residential driveway. Maybe consider a salt and sand mixture to cut down on the amount of salt you use annually. Keep it mind though, it may not be as effective at reducing the ice!
Use of Metal Shovels
The metal blades of the shovel will scratch the surface of the driveway. Consider using plastic shovels instead of metal ones.
Roots of Trees
If you have trees near your driveway, then the roots can damage it from down below. Tree roots can push the inside foundation of the driveway and cause the cement to crack. You can prevent this by placing a tree root barrier near the perimeter of your driveway. It is good also good to do a visual inspection of the driveway annually to see if any portions have lifted or cracked.
Studded Tires
Use of studded tires is beneficial for driving in snowy streets, but they can damage your residential driveway by making holes in it. You can handle this by either avoiding driving such a vehicle or seal coating your driveway regularly.
Ultra Violet Rays
The UV rays from the sun can break down the binding chemicals of driveway thus make it brittle. You cannot avoid this damage without proper seal coating your driveway. This is one of the advantages of using Jet Seal Services, LLC! Not only will you have a beautiful driveway but it will also be extremely functional and beneficial towards the longevity of your driveway.
To-Do List for Residential Driveway Maintenance
- Handle Accidental Spills Immediately
- Sealcoat Your Driveway
- Park in Different Spots
- Manage Pooling Water
- Control the Load on Driveway
- Avoid Applying Deicing Chemicals
- Keep Clippings of Grass Away From Your Driveway
- Use Weed-Killers For Growing Weeds in Driveway
Handle Accidental Spills Immediately
Spilling of fuel, motor oils, and other liquids on the driveway are common. It is wise to handle these spills as soon as possible. If you leave these spills unattended, it can penetrate inside the driveway and damage its chemical composition. If you want your residential driveway maintained, then do not leave chemical spills over it. Clean your driveway regularly so that these spills don’t emulsify and become stable stains.
Fill Driveway Cracks Regularly
Residential driveway maintenance is all about taking care of your driveway. If you see small cracks in the driveway, try to fill it with rubberized thick tar. Filling driveway cracks regularly will seal it and prevent further damage. It will also give long life to your residential driveway. Jet Seal Services offers crack filling services alongside our total sealcoating applications.
Sealcoat Your Driveway
After the successful crack filling job, seal coat it. Consider seal coating every 1-2 years. It will help in sealing small cracks and stop larger cracks. Jet Seal Services pride ourselves in our ability to take on residential seal coating applications along with large commercial parking lots. We have the tools, knowledge, and equipment to help your driveway last!
Park in Different Spots
There is a high tendency of family members to choose their specific spots for parking. Or when your guests and friends come over, they always park their cars on the same spots.
You might have no idea but this repetitive parking of heavy vehicles on the same spot can soften your driveway due to heat. The driveway can deform or sink in from that particular place. In order to avoid such trouble and maintain your driveway, try to switch the spot for your car, truck, or other vehicle parking.
Manage Pooling Water Instantly
Summer is here and the sun is on its peak but it does not mean that there will be no rain in this season. The pooling water after a hefty rainfall can be problematic for your residential driveway. It can lead to various damages such as water penetration, smaller and bigger cracks, and other related problems to the driveway and it’s subsurface.
A suitable drainage system will help you in managing pooling water after rain. You should look for it immediately and manage to protect your driveway.
Control the Load on Driveway
Although driveways are rugged, they can bear the damage of heavy loads. Always check and control the load on your driveway if you want to maintain it.
The reason is that the residential driveways are constructed in a way to withstand the light weight of cars or light duty trucks. Avoid driving medium or heavy weight trucks to your driveway.
Avoid Applying Deicing Chemicals
To maintain your driveway, do not use deicing chemicals. Most of these chemicals contain ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate that are detrimental to driveways. Instead of using these chemicals, consider using sand to make tracks on your residential driveway.
Keep Clippings of Grass Away From Your Driveway
A driveway usually has a lawn close together. Every time you mow your lawn, try to sweep the cuttings of grass from your driveway. The seeds in the clippings can go into the small cracks of driveway and sprout grass. It will not only look bad but also become a reason for larger cracks in the driveway. That’s way residential driveway maintenance require cleaning on a regular basis.
Use Weed-Killers for Growing Weeds in Driveway
The grass clippings made a way into the small cracks and grow there if by any chance, spray it with weed killers (environment-friendly). You can also pour some vinegar on it.
Final Thought
Many factors such as sun, rain, heat, cold, oils, heavyweights, and every day wear & tear can damage your driveway. With the passage of time, they can deteriorate your driveway. Following above-mentioned tips can help you in residential driveway maintenance and long life of your driveway.
Jet Seal Services, LLC is a veteran owned and operated business taking care of all your seal coating needs. For over 15 years Jet Seal has been proudly providing residential & commercial asphalt maintenance and seal coating services in the Maryland area. We provide our services at the most competitive rates while upholding the highest values of quality workmanship.
We provide asphalt services such as residential seal coating, commercial parking lot maintenance, crack filling, line striping, signage, and more. Jet Seal Services, LLC can handle it all! We take pride in every job we do. You will work directly with the owner Phillip Scott for every job and our jobs are not subcontracted out.