If you have a crack or pothole in your asphalt surface, you may be debating whether you should patch it yourself or call in an asphalt paving professional. There are asphalt repair kits sold at home improvement stores, and while they are easy to use, they may not be the best option for your asphalt surface. Here are three reasons why you should do an asphalt repair yourself.
A Professional Needs to Determine if Repair Should Be Done
If you see a crack or hole in your asphalt surface, you may automatically assume it can be patched and the asphalt road, driveway or walkway will be good as new. But a crack or hole may be letting you know that your asphalt surface is nearing the end of its lifespan. In this case, patching won’t help. The asphalt surface will only continue to crack or crumble away due to its age. Resurfacing or laying a new surface will be needed in this situation to fix the problem and prevent it from coming back. However, the average person doesn’t have the knowledge necessary to make this determination and may wind up wasting their time on the repair doing it themselves. A pressure washer equipment may also be needed to clean the surface so it will be easier to see the actual condition of your asphalt surface.
Do-It-Yourself Kits Don’t Last
Another disadvantage to making an asphalt repair yourself is that do-it-yourself kits don’t last. Often, the crack or hole is jagged or uneven. The asphalt around the area needs to be chipped away to create a smooth, even surface. When the asphalt filler is poured into the hole or over the crack, it will adhere to this smooth surface, helping it last. These kits don’t tell you this and don’t provide the tools you need to smooth the surface. Instead, you may just pour the filler in an uneven hole only to find the crack or chip appears rather quickly again.
The Kits May Cause More Harm Than Good
Lastly, you should never attempt a do-it-yourself asphalt repair because you can do more harm than good. Trying to remove asphalt or asphalt filler is tedious, laborious work. If your kit didn’t adhere all the way, it needs to be removed to be fixed. This takes more time and costs you more money than if you would have just hired professionals from asphalt companies from the get-go.
If you need asphalt repair Amarillo, let a professional help you. This helps ensure the patch is done properly and that it will last.