Sealing The Driveway

The annual custom of sealing the driveway to try and get it to last another year took place today.  It sure seems like every year things move around more and more.  And by that I mean that the blacktop ruts get deeper and deeper.  The next door neighbor works in asphalt and he told me that he would be willing to bet that the people who lived in the house before us put down a really crappy base before laying the blacktop down, something that is more sandy and rocky.  That would explain the shifting over time as cars drive in and out.  Makes sense to me. 

I am getting pretty adept at getting this done in a timely manner.  I remember years ago taking an entire Saturday to get it spread.  Now I can finish it in only a couple of hours.  It also helps doing all the prep work ahead of time, such as patching up holes, and filling in the large cracks.  So another sealing is finished.  I may see if I can give it another coat before the end of the summer, just as a precautionary measure.  Last winter, while cold, wasn’t too bad in terms of snowfall, or at least the amount of shoveling/snow blowing that needed to happen.  That is what usually ruins the sealer over the winter, scraping a shovel, or the flapper wheel of my snow blower running over it.