Frequently Asked Questions

Keep foot traffic off for the rest of the day of service and vehicles off for at least 24 hours. In humid or cool weather, waiting a full 48 hours before parking gives the coating time to harden all the way through.

Driveway edges have no lateral support, so they carry weight without anything holding them in place. Turning wheels, mower tires, and grass creeping inward all break down that unsupported margin until the perimeter starts to ravel and break away.

Hot-mix repairs need warm ground and warm material, so permanent patching waits for the season. Cold patch will hold a pothole together through winter as a temporary measure, then gets cut out and replaced properly once temperatures climb again in spring.

A well-built driveway that gets sealed on schedule usually runs 20 to 30 years here. Skipping maintenance can cut that in half, because water reaching the base layer is what actually ends a driveway's life, not surface wear.

Water still sitting more than a day after rain points to a low spot, a settled section, or a grading problem. Ponding softens the layers underneath, and that saturated base is where potholes, alligator cracking, and settling almost always start.

Leave that to the crew. We clean the surface, cut back grass along the edges, and treat oil spots so the sealer bonds. Washing on your own often drives water into open cracks that then need extra drying time before we can seal.

Seeds land in cracks and joints where dust and moisture collect over time, and roots widen the opening as they push down. Sealing cracks and keeping the perimeter edged back removes the foothold that lets them take hold.

Salt itself does not dissolve asphalt, but it lowers the freezing point of water and drives many more thaw and refreeze cycles into the surface. That extra movement widens existing cracks and speeds up the raveling already underway.

Seal cracks before the ground freezes, keep water moving away from the surface, and clear snow promptly instead of letting it melt and refreeze in place. Those three habits handle most of what our winters throw at residential pavement.

They are the same material. Blacktop is the everyday word for hot-mix asphalt, a blend of aggregate and petroleum binder laid hot and compacted. Contractors and homeowners across Minnesota use both terms interchangeably, and neither one describes a different product.

Fresh sealer tracks easily, which is why we ask you to stay off until it cures. Once fully dry it stops transferring, though wiping shoes and keeping pets off during the first day avoids any marks on floors and carpets indoors.

The surface has to be dry through, which usually means 24 hours of dry weather after a soaking rain. We also watch the forecast, since rain within the first day of curing will wash a fresh coat right off the driveway.

Yes. Clear the driveway of cars, trailers, boats, and anything else parked along the edges the morning of service. Sprinklers should be shut off for the day, and pets and children will need another route in and out.

Walk it each spring, fill new cracks before summer heat opens them further, keep the edges trimmed, and clear standing water. Sealer goes on every 2 to 3 years rather than annually, which is a common misconception among homeowners.