One of the most used parts of your home is the driveway, which is frequently disregarded until it begins to discolour or break.
A crumbled and cracked driveway doesn’t just make for a rougher ride on your car’s tires; it’s also an eyesore that can affect the curb appeal of your home. Having good curb appeal can help increase the value of your property, and drive up its market value, especially when you work with the best Toronto realtors to help sell your home.
You may prolong the usefulness and appealing appearance of your driveway well into the future while also making long-term financial savings. Take into account these seven guidelines for maintaining concrete and asphalt driveways.
Repair Existing Cracks
Remove any loose debris with a masonry chisel and clean up the area with a brush before applying a filler for cracks and using a patching compound. As soon as a hole or crack appears, patch it. When the compound has dried, seal the entire driveway. Making sure the driveway is level, and smooth will prevent tripping incidents when visitors come to your house.
Prevent New Cracks
To stop water from entering, freezing, and cracking on driveways, seal concrete yearly and asphalt every few years. Roots from trees and shrubs can produce cracks by pushing up from below. The remedy is to cut back or remove trees close to roadways.
Minimize Water on the Driveway
To lessen the likelihood of snow and water seeping through the driveway’s surface, leave a two to three-inch strip clear along the driveway’s edges. This will serve as a runoff area. Additionally, make sure drains discharge into the yard rather than the driveway.
Avoid Salting Cement
Surfaces can become penetrated by chemical de-icers and cement salt, leading to fractures. Both need to be fixed. Snow can be removed with a snowblower or shovel, and surfaces can be made less slick by using alternatives like sand, coffee grounds, alfalfa meal, or kitty litter rather than salting. Consider misting the ice with sugar beet juice to melt it; this lowers the substance’s melting point and is thought to work in -20°F conditions.
Be Careful When Ploughing Snow
Raise the snowplows’ blade high enough to prevent it from damaging the driveway’s surface. For uneven surfaces when shovelling, use a plastic shovel to lessen the likelihood that it will catch on the driveway. Then, either shovel off the snow to the side of you or remove a few inches of snow at a time as you walk earthward.
Safeguard the Edges
Driveways aren’t typically made to accommodate large trucks or wide vehicles, and are particularly susceptible to chipping under high weight are the edges. So, during home remodelling work, ensure your automobile is placed away from the edges and that construction trucks never park there.
Regularly Clean
Cleaning stains left behind by engine oil, radiator fluid, and other similar chemicals improves more than just the appearance of your car. Concrete can be penetrated by motor fluids up to a quarter inch and soften asphalt. Use non-clumping cat litter to soak up fresh oil, warm water, and dishwashing soap that cuts through grease. If the stain is older, try frequently cleaning it with a biodegradable cleaner that can cut through grease. Use a standard scrub brush, please. A wire brush may harm the surface of the driveway.
Make the most of your house by keeping the driveway spotless and maintained. It doesn’t just improve curb appeal; it also lasts longer than indifferent drives. A little upkeep today could pay you handsomely in the future.
