Will I See the Asphalt Repairs When They’re Done?

One of the most common questions that I'm asked is, “Will I see the repairs when they're done?” My answer is always the same - yes. It's impossible to match old asphalt using new asphalt, even with infrared repairs. How well a repair blends with the surrounding asphalt depends on one main factor, how many times the surrounding asphalt has been sealed. Each time you sealcoat your asphalt, the voids between the aggregate get filled in a little more. The more times a driveway has been sealed, the less texture it has, leaving little chance it will match up with new asphalt that has more texture. Just imagine your old driveway next to a new driveway, that's the difference you will see.

A follow up question I hear a lot is, “Won't it blend in after I sealcoat?” It will blend better with a sealcoat (same color), but the textures will still be different and the repairs will be visible. Asphalt surfaces that have only been sealed a few times can eventually blend in pretty well with a few sealcoats, over a few years. If a new driveway is what you're looking for, you’ll need a paving company that can give you a new driveway. Infrared repairs are a nice option if a large portion of your asphalt is in good shape and you can accept that the repairs will not be invisible.

Article Source: http://www.asphaltadvisor.com/2013/07/will-i-see-asphalt-repairs-when-theyre.html