Your home’s driveway is the gateway to your home. It’s what all your visitors walk or drive on when coming over and you want to ensure that it’s in pristine condition. Here are four ways to help prevent cracking of your home’s driveway.
Avoid Spreading Salt
In the wintertime, it can seem like a no-brainer to spread salt on your driveway to prevent slips and create much-needed traction for your vehicle. However, that’s actually not the best solution. You should opt for sand over salt. Sand doesn’t wear down concrete and asphalt as salt can. Salt will cause the snow to melt very quickly, which can lead to an excess of water laying on your driveway. This water will easily seep into the pavement and refreeze. This causes unnecessary pressure on the material of your driveway and will eventually cause it to crack.
Photo by Arrow. Land + Structures
Apply A Yearly Sealer
Maintenance is the real key to preventing cracking in your driveway. Regardless of what material you utilize, concrete or asphalt, there is a waterproofing sealer on the market that you can apply. This should be done annually to help repair any small cracks that have occurred and protect your driveway for another long year.
Be Mindful Of Objects On Your Driveway
We’ve all seen those driveway spots where you can tell the homeowner had a large, heavy object sitting on there for a lengthy period of time. The stress weighing down the driveway eventually causes it to break down. Usually, it will leave behind indentations that make your driveway more susceptible to cracking. Things like boat trailers, cherry pickers, and dumpsters can all damage your driveway and lead to unwanted cracking.
Photo by Castro StoneWorks NY – Masonry Contractors
Move Trees
One of the biggest culprits of cracking in driveways is tree roots. They are extremely strong and, over time, can cause the materials of your driveway to split under an immense amount of stress. It’s best to move existing trees that are within close vicinity to your driveway and don’t plant any other trees near it. This way, the tree roots are unlikely to reach the driveway.
Your home’s driveway is something that should garner your attention from time to time. It’s what completes the whole outside curb appeal look of your home. To prevent cracking, you should implement the four tips we have laid out for you above. Once you do, you’ll be glad you did when you compare your pristine driveway to your neighbor’s cracked and worn one.