Asphalt Repair in Portland, OR

Asphalt repair is about keeping water out of the base. In Portland, November through January each bring around 5 to 6 inches of rain at the airport, and every open crack lets some of it into the stone underneath. A wet base gives under traffic, which is how a single crack becomes a web of alligator cracking and then a pothole. Repairs that address the damaged area and seal the surrounding cracks stop that cycle; quick patches dropped into a wet hole usually do not survive the winter.

Patch types and when we use them

HomeGuide lists four common patch methods, and they are not interchangeable. Cold patch is a temporary fill that holds a hole until a proper repair can be made. Hot patch places fresh hot-mix asphalt in a cleaned, prepared area. A saw-cut patch, sometimes called remove and replace, cuts out the failed section in a clean rectangle, digs to sound material, rebuilds the base and paves it back; it costs the most per square foot and lasts the longest. Infrared repair heats the existing asphalt so new material bonds to it with fewer seams. For most driveway potholes surrounded by cracking, the saw-cut method is the one that holds.

When a patch will not hold

HomeGuide warns against quick hot-asphalt patches where alligator cracks surround the hole, where damage reaches the gravel base, or where drainage or leveling problems exist. Those are signs the base underneath has failed. In those spots we cut out a larger area, replace the wet or contaminated base with compacted stone, and pave it back so the repair carries load like the rest of the driveway.

Crack filling

Individual cracks are cleaned, dried and filled with hot-applied crack sealant before the wet season. Filling is cheap compared with patching, typically $0.50 to $3 per linear foot in HomeGuide figures, and it is the step that keeps rain out of the base. We usually pair it with a sealcoat when the driveway is due.

Edges, aprons and sunken spots

Edges crumble where the asphalt has no support beside it, often along a planting strip or lawn. We cut back to firm material, rebuild the edge and backfill it. Aprons at the street take a beating from turning cars and sit partly in the public right-of-way, so any work that changes the apron goes through the City's permit process. Sunken areas, often over an old trench or a soft spot, are cut out and rebuilt rather than just filled.

Repair or replace?

HomeGuide suggests repair or resurfacing when less than about 25 to 30 percent of the surface is damaged, the base is stable and the cracks are shallow, and replacement when cracking covers 60 to 70 percent or more. We give you an honest read at the site visit, including the option of repairing now and planning a replacement later.