Asphalt Crack Sealing in Federalsburg, MD

Asphalt crack sealing

Water in a crack is what takes a driveway apart

What is crack routing and why does it matter?

Pouring sealant into a dirty hairline crack is a waste of material. It sits on top, it never bonds, and it peels off inside a season. Routing fixes that. We run a router down the crack to open it into a clean, square reservoir, usually around half an inch wide and half an inch deep. That gives the sealant a shape to grip and enough body to stretch as the pavement moves. Then the crack gets blown out with compressed air so the walls are clean and dry. It is the slow part of the day, and it is the part that decides how long the work lasts, whatever any Federalsburg paving company quotes you.

What sealant do you use?

Hot pour rubberised sealant, melted in a kettle and poured into the routed crack while it is hot. Rubberised material stays flexible, so it moves with the pavement instead of splitting at the first cold snap. We pour it flush, or with a thin band squeegeed over the top, depending on the surface and how much movement there is. Cold pour bottles from the hardware store have their place on one small crack at home, but they shrink and they do not last. Sealing cracks early is treated as basic pavement preservation by the Federal Highway Administration, and it is why road crews are out doing it every fall.

Which cracks can be sealed and which cannot?

A crack up to about an inch wide is sealing work. Hairlines under a quarter inch usually get handled by a sealcoat instead, since there is nothing there to hold sealant. Once a crack is wider than an inch, or the edges are crumbling, or the area has broken into small blocks, sealing it only hides the problem. That pavement has to come out and be patched properly. And if it has already opened up into a hole, you are past sealing and into cutting the hole out and patching it.

When is the best time to seal cracks?

Spring and fall, when the pavement is cool but the day is dry. Cracks sit at their widest in cold weather and their tightest in the heat of July, so working at a moderate temperature puts the right amount of material in. The surface has to be dry all the way down, which usually means a day or two after rain. Sealant sets within minutes of the pour and takes traffic once it has cooled, so most driveways and lots are back in use the same day. We seal cracks in Federalsburg and the towns around it, including the lots over in Hurlock.

How long does crack sealing last?

Three to five years in a crack that was routed and blown clean, less where the pavement moves a lot. Sealant poured into a dirty crack often fails inside one winter, which is why we prepare first.

Can I drive on it right away?

Almost. Hot pour sealant sets as it cools, so we usually open a driveway back up within the hour. In strong sun the surface can stay tacky, and we will sand it if there is any chance of tracking.

Should I seal cracks or sealcoat first?

Cracks first, always. Sealcoat is a thin coating and it will sink and split over an open crack. We fill and seal, let it set, then the coat goes over the top of everything.

Will the sealant be a different colour?

It cures to a black band that is a little darker and shinier than the pavement around it. A sealcoat over the top afterwards evens the whole surface out if the look matters to you.

How wide does a crack have to be before it matters?

A quarter inch is the line we work to. Anything that width or wider is letting water into the base with every rain, and it is worth sealing before another freeze opens it further.

Do you seal cracks on commercial lots?

Yes. Lots get the same routing, cleaning and hot pour work, usually done in sections so the property keeps trading. We can seal and re-stripe on the same visit if that suits you.