While driveways may not get the same amount of attention as other property features such as patios and garden beds, routine maintenance preserves these parking spaces for years. Whether your driveway consists of asphalt, concrete, or gravel, the right care avoids premature and expensive replacements while also contributing to your property’s curb appeal. Use these tips to help your driveway material last.

How to Maintain Your Driveway

1. Keep It Clean

Sweep your asphalt or concrete driveway regularly in light of weather conditions. For example, more cleaning is generally necessary in autumn due to falling leaves and twigs. Routine cleaning also keeps seeds out of small cracks that can sprout and cause the damage to expand. Address motor oil and gas stains immediately since they promote untimely concrete and especially asphalt degradation. And while you cannot sweep a gravel driveway, you can check it periodically for weeds.

2. Reduce Water Runoff

Direct water away from your driveway as much as possible. Adjust downspouts so they flow into soil, keep your garden hose off the driveway, and clean your vehicles in the street. Water washes away gravel and feeds any seeds. It also infiltrates asphalt and concrete to damage the underlying material and promote cracks and potholes.

3. Avoid Chemical Deicers

Keep rock salt and chemical deicers off of your asphalt or concrete driveway since they break the materials down. Use sand or kitty litter instead to create traction and work with a snowblower or shovel to remove snow and ice. If you have a gravel driveway, check it for pooling water after snow melts or a rainstorm ends to avoid depressions and ruts.

4. Schedule Periodic Re-Sealing

Fill small cracks on a concrete or asphalt driveway immediately and get your chosen surface re-sealed every one to three years depending on the weather in your region and the amount of traffic it receives every week. Seal coating services create a barrier between your driveway and the elements, protecting it from rain, hail, snow, and ice as well as assorted chemicals and UV damage.

5. Protect Your Edges

Avoid allowing utility and other heavy-duty vehicles to park on asphalt or concrete since the extra weight stresses both materials. In terms of gravel, too much weight presses the rocks into the ground and can potentially contribute to ruts. Heavy-duty vehicles are especially detrimental around driveway edges since they can cause chipping. 

Gravel, crushed stone, asphalt, and ready-mix concrete are among the materials available from The Dolomite Group in Rochester, NY. A wholesale distributor serving local contractors and construction companies since 1920, this company supplies high-quality materials necessary to long-lasting results. Call (585) 381-7010 today with questions or visit the wholesaler online for product information.