It’s about that time of year again. The temperatures drop, you don’t think it can get any worse, and then the next thing you know there’s 6 inches of snow piled in front of your door!
Now you have to shovel your way out of your house and then your driveway.
It’s important to take the necessary precautions and winterize your driveway and sidewalks before the snow hits. You may ask, “why do I need to “winterize” my driveway?” Good question!
Why Do I Need to Winterize My Driveway?
It’s actually quite simple. When snow melts, the water seeps into the microscopic pores and cracks of your asphalt or concrete. No big deal, right? Wrong. The temperatures drop, causing it to
freeze the water, expand, and create stress for the concrete.
Over the course of the winter, this process repeats itself over and over, expanding any cracks that exist and creating new ones. The minor cracks that you see now will only get worse and are eventually much harder to treat.
How Do I Winterize My Driveway?
So, how do you “winterize” your driveway? There’s a few different ways to get your driveway ready for winter and you can find just about all of the materials you need at your local hardware or home improvement store.
The first thing you’re going to want to do is seal up all those cracks that are bound to expand. If the cracks are wide enough to collect dirt and grime, clean them out with a stiff brush or a strong air compressor.
Once they’re clean, fill the cracks with concrete crack filler and smooth the substance over the entire crack. Be sure you’ve gotten enough caulk in to completely fill the crack; otherwise it may crack again.
Avoiding Salt
When snow and ice take over your driveway and sidewalk, it’s hard not to resort to throwing tons of salt everywhere. I know, your back hurts from shoveling and you want the salt to do the work for you. Well, unfortunately salt does more than melt the ice.
Salt will get into the cracks of your pavement and cause all kinds of problems. Whereas shoveling or plowing your driveway will remove the snow, salt causes all of the ice and snow to melt, which leads to refreezing and more cracks in your driveway.
Instead of using salt on your driveway, try shoveling as much as you can or borrow a snow plow from a neighbor.
Sealcoating
If you want your driveway to last, you are going to want to sealcoat it. Sealcoating provides a protective layer over your asphalt or concrete so it’s less susceptible to oil stains, cracks, and salt corrosion.
Sealcoating is not an easy DIY project, but it is important if you want to protect and maintain your driveway over long periods of time.