When it comes to your driveway, there are some repairs that you can confidently do yourself, and some repairs that you should probably leave to the professionals. Luckily for those who are dealing with a hole in their asphalt driveway, there is an easy do-it-yourself solution. In this article, we will go over the methods of driveway repair that relate to an asphalt driveway with a hole in it.
Important note: while it may be theoretically possible to tackle this project yourself, your driveway may have its own particular quirks and challenges. If at any point you find yourself over your head — or if your results are not looking exactly how you would like them to — you may want to reach out to a professional. For all of our local readers, Pacific Coast Paving is ready to help you with any driveway repair in Vancouver.
Without further ado, let’s get to it: here are the steps to repairing a hole in an asphalt driveway.
10 Steps To Repairing A Hole In An Asphalt Driveway
Step 1: Gather Your Tools
Any project-doer knows that you are only as good as your tools. If you are fixing a hole in your asphalt driveway, you will need the following tools:
- A broom (for cleaning the targeted area)
- Weeding gloves (in case there are weeds or plants growing in your hole)
- Caulking gun (for filling the hole)
- A hand tamp a plate compactor, or a hammer (depending on the size of the hole — for levelling the filled-in hole)
Step 2: Assess the Damage
Before we get started with repairing the hole, you will need to perform a fair assessment of the size of the damage. Please know that DIY repairs are best suited to holes that are less than two square feet.
Step 3: Remove Any Weeds, if Necessary
If you have a hole in your driveway, depending on the season and the amount of time that it has been there, it may be possible that weeds have made themselves at home in the exposed soil. If this is the case, you will want to remove them before you begin filling in the hole. Use the garden gloves to do this.
Step 4: Identify Your Asphalt Filler
Since we are dealing with asphalt, we will want to use an asphalt filler. An asphalt filler is a term that refers to a mixture of rocks and asphalt tar. If you do not have this on hand, you can generally buy it at a hardware store in 50-pound bags.
Step 5: Wet Your Soil, if Applicable
Next, we want to prepare the soil for its filler. We have already cleaned the hole out when we removed the weeds from it. However, it doesn’t hurt here to perform another cleaning by using a shovel or broom to take any debris out of the hole. It’s important to note that if your soil is dry, you will want to wet it with either a garden hose or a bucket of water. This will help the filler stick. Important: the soil should be damp and not soaking wet.
Step 6: Fill in Deep Holes
This step is important if your hole is especially deep. If your hole goes down three or four inches, you will want to fill it in with some kind of material so that it will be level with the rest of your driveway. This can be a material you have on-hand, such as rocks, clay, or even limestone.
Step 7: Apply Asphalt Filler
Now it’s the fun part! It is not time to apply your asphalt filler. Make sure to fill it so that it is about half an inch higher than the rest of your driveway — we will level this in the next step.
Step 8: Level Your Filler
We now want to make sure that our filled-in hole is the same level as the rest of the driveway. To do this, you will need a special tool depending on the size of your home. Larger holes will require a plate compactor or a hand tamp, but for small holes, a hammer will be sufficient.
Step 9: Cover Your Hole (Optional)
If your home isn’t perfectly level, you may want to cover it with a piece of plywood before driving over it.
Step 10: Clean off Your Seal and Admire Your Work!
Once your asphalt filler sets, use a broom to brush away any debris from the seal. Admire your work and enjoy your freshly-fixed driveway!
Please feel free to contact our driveway repair contractor now, if you have any question about repairing the asphalt driveway by yourself.