Crack Sealing in Grand Rapids, MI

Crack sealing closes the openings that let water reach the gravel under your asphalt. In a place with as many freeze-thaw cycles as Grand Rapids, that matters more than almost any other maintenance step. A crack that is a quarter inch wide in October can be a broken, sunken strip by April once water has frozen in it a few dozen times. Sealing cracks while they are still narrow, and before the snow flies, is the cheapest way to make an asphalt driveway or lot last longer.

Filling vs. sealing

The two terms get used loosely. HomeGuide draws a useful line: crack filling with a basic material lasts about 1 to 2 years, while crack sealing with a flexible, rubberized material lasts about 3 to 8 years. Sealing moves with the pavement as it expands in summer and shrinks in winter, so it stays bonded. For the working cracks that open and close with the seasons, sealing is the right choice.

How we do it

• Blow out dirt, sand and weeds with compressed air
• Rout wider cracks to a clean, square reservoir where the crack calls for it
• Make sure the crack is dry; sealant does not bond to wet edges
• Pour hot rubberized sealant into the crack and band it slightly over the edges
• Keep traffic off until it sets, usually a short time

Cracks wider than a couple of inches, or cracks surrounded by broken or loose asphalt, are past sealing and need a proper cut-out patch instead.

Which cracks to seal

Long single cracks along the length of a driveway, cracks where the asphalt meets the garage slab or the concrete approach, and cracks along patches are the best candidates. A web of small connected cracks, called alligator cracking, means the base under that area has failed. Sealing will not hold there; that area needs to be cut out and patched.

Timing

Late summer through fall is the best time to do it. Cracks are open wider in cool weather than in July heat, so sealant fills them fully, and you get protection in place right before freeze-thaw season. Crack sealing also comes before sealcoating, never after, so the two are often done in the same visit a day or so apart.