Driveway Repair and Maintenance Costs for Asphalt and Concrete Driveways

The home improvement and repair season is well underway and homeowners who are replacing an ugly driveway this year, may wonder which type of home driveways cost the most to repair, maintain and which driveways retain their curb appeal and beautiful appearance with the least amount of effort. Knowing how much time and money you may need to spend cleaning and fixing your driveway each year, may have a significant impact on which driveway you choose to have installed.

In this Driveway Guide article, we’ll help you learn more about driveway repair and maintenance costs. You’ll learn the most common driveway repairs, as well as how much time the repair may take. We’ll also share whether the repair is diy friendly, whether or not you need special tools or equipment, and any other tips we can provide to make the job of repairing your driveway easier.

Asphalt or Blacktop Driveway Repairs

Probably the most common type of driveway found in America, asphalt driveways, while they do need require a fair bit of maintenance, are also the cheapest and easiest to either repair yourself, or have repaired by a professional.

Common Repairs and Costs

• Repairing Small and Simple Cracks – Small cracks that are singular in nature, meaning they are just one or two single lines of cracks versus a spider web of connected cracks, are common on asphalt driveways and the easiest for a do it yourself homeowner to repair. You can get a bottle of liquid crack sealer at most big-box hardware stores for under $25, clean the crack out thoroughly, and have it fixed in just a couple hours!
• Asphalt Driveway Sealcoating – As your driveway ages, the sun and weather will wear the surface to the point that it needs to be re-sealed every 3-4 years. Another somewhat diy repair for most homeowners, asphalt driveway sealer can be purchased for about $75-$100 per 5 gallon bucket, and applied in a single day. A 5-gallon bucket of sealer will cover about 350 square feet of surface so make sure you have enough to complete the job before you start!
• Wide Cracks or Spidered Areas – Wide cracks, (2 inches wide or more) spider-web looking sections with a lot of small cracks, or sections that are completely missing are somewhat of a bigger problem for the diy’er when it comes to asphalt driveways. Our experience is that the rubberized driveway patches sold today are only a form of a band-aid, that will maybe get you another year out of the driveway before it needs to be replaced. The right way to repair a large crack is to have it removed, cleaned, and replaced with cold-patch or hot asphalt. You will need special tools for this type of repair and it’s best to call in a driveway repair company to give you a quote. (click here for a free quote) If nothing more, you’ll have a great idea of whats required to fix it right!

Regardless of the repair you decide to take on, the section of the driveway being repaired needs to be cleaned thoroughly, cleared of all small dirt or debris with a compressor, and prepped according to the recommendation on the product you use.

Concrete Driveway Repair

The second most common type of driveway you’ll find throughout the USA is a concrete driveway. While they don’t need much in the form of maintenance other than regular cleanings, when a concrete driveway repair is needed, you’ll most often benefit the most by calling in a professional to come in and help you out.

Common Repairs and Costs for Concrete Driveways

• Simple Crack Repairs– If you have a small crack in your concrete driveway, you can purchase some rubberized crack sealer at the hardware store to seal it. Keep in mind that it’s only a temporary fix and the crack will not repair itself. The most important thing you are doing however, is sealing the crack from having water soak in and cause further damage. The sealer will cost about $25-$40, and goes quite a long way!
• Larger Concrete Driveway Repairs – Most cracks in concrete that are not on one of the expansion or crack joints, need to have the section removed and replaced to properly repair the section. That means you need to have a professional come out and look at it, to tell you how bad it is. Click here to talk to a pro and learn more about how to repair cracks in your concrete driveway. Concrete can be removed and replaced for about $10-$15 per square foot. So if you have a section that gets squared off to a 6×10 section, you can expect about $600-$900 to repair the concrete driveway section properly.

Along with fixing the cracks in your concrete driveway, keeping it properly sealed every 4-5 years will help it last a long time and provide years of worry free, (and mostly) maintenance free service!