Asphalt Patching in Rochester Hills, MI

Asphalt patching repairs the parts of a driveway or lot that have failed while the rest is still sound. A pothole, a sunken spot near the garage, a chunk broken off by the plow, or a patch of alligator cracking where water got into the base: each is a local failure that can be cut out and rebuilt. Done right, the repair lasts as long as the surrounding asphalt. Done with a bag of cold patch, it is back the next spring.

Why spots fail

Most local failures in this area come from water and frost. Meltwater enters a crack, freezes, lifts the pavement and leaves a void when it thaws. Traffic breaks the unsupported asphalt. Other causes include utility trenches that settled, tree roots, downspouts emptying onto the drive, and heavy trucks parked on thin pavement.

Patch methods

• Saw-cut hot-mix patch: square cut around the failure, old material removed, base repaired and compacted, new hot mix rolled flush. The standard for durable repairs.
• Infrared repair: the existing surface is heated, reworked with new mix and rolled, leaving no seam. Useful for surface defects over a sound base.
• Cold patch: a temporary fix to get through winter until a hot-mix repair can be made.
• Edge rebuild: crumbling edges cut back, base extended and new asphalt placed and backed with soil.

When patches will not help

HomeGuide warns against quick surface patches where alligator cracking surrounds the hole, damage reaches the base over a wide area, or there are drainage or leveling problems, and points to replacement when cracking covers more than 60 to 70 percent of the surface or there are multiple potholes. If that is your driveway, we will say so.

Matching and sealing

New patches are darker than old asphalt at first. Sealcoating the whole drive after patching evens the color and protects the seams. We also seal the patch edges so water does not get in around them.

Commercial patching

On lots, failed areas at entrances, dumpster pads and drive lanes are patched in sections with traffic control so the business stays open.

Downspouts, roots and trenches

Many failures come back to a cause beside the pavement. A downspout that empties onto the drive keeps the base wet; we suggest extending or rerouting it. A tree root under a lifted spot will lift a patch, too, unless it is dealt with. A sewer or water trench that settled may keep settling for a while; we patch it and tell you to watch it. Fixing the cause is what keeps the repair in place.

Patching before sealing or resurfacing

Patches come before any sealcoat or overlay. Sealer over a broken spot hides it for a season; an overlay over one cracks in the same place.