resurfacing/sealing driveway - looking for grey color, not black
Ohioguy
a driveway that has to be repaired or resurfaced. My wife and I took a
look at it, and since we both grew up in places that had gravel
driveways, we thought it looked fine. I would much prefer a stone
driveway, but it isn't allowed here.
Although the HUD inspection estimated that this needs $1,500 worth of
work, I believe that I should be able to get this driveway back in
decent looking shape for less than a third of that amount. I'm planning
on going out there with my Dewalt drill and wire brush to clear out the
grass & small weeds that have taken root in some of the cracks,
especially along the edges.
Here's a photo:
http://i38.tinypic.com/jktycy.jpg
Neither my wife nor I like the dark black color that is used to seal
most driveways. We like going barefoot in the summers, and from
personal experience I've found that these black driveways can get far
too hot to walk on when it is sunny. As such, we were hoping to find
something that is a much lighter grey color - something similar to the
limestone gravel that is used in driveways. However, the home
improvement centers don't seem to have anything other than dark black.
My searches online also have not been fruitful in this regard.
Can anyone recommend a high quality resurfacer/sealer that we could
use, but would give it a light grey color instead of black? Thanks!
phil scott
if its concrete do this
use TSP to get it degreased
Then concrete crack filler and a trowl to fill the cracks
Then use cement garage floor paint, tint to suit..you can try using a
bit of fine sand mixed in the batch
then a roller if you want,.. try one spot first to see how it works,,,
use maybe 1/2 cup sand per gallon
Al
If that picture is the worst of it, I think you have a good shot at
repairing it to last a long time. I'm assuming there is no heaving or
lifting of the asphalt. If there is, then those areas would need to
be dug out at a minimum.
Forget the Dewalt. You'd be there a week and achieve nothing.
Professionals use a power washer to deep clean those grassy spots out
of there. Then you can use heavy filler in all the cracks and a top
sealer to finish. This will take at least three different days to
complete. FHA and HUD inspectors can be quite quirky. If the same
inspector gets it in his craw that the driveway needs to be dug up,
perhaps he will not approve your do it yourself work. As for color, I
don't know for sure. I know they use similar material in gray and even
white on roofs. There must be a reason all the drives are black.
Perhaps that is because a gray topping will soon have black streaks
and look very tacky indeed.
If you stated the width and length of the driveway, you might get more
interesting answers. Driveway work is always quoted in square feet.
Ohioguy
> interesting answers. Driveway work is always quoted in square feet.
It's about 17' wide, and 24' long.
I wish I could find a source for tiny (~1/8" size) limestone gravel.
I think I could mix that with the higher quality seal coat, and it
would be a lot like a tar & chip job.
Al
I forget what they called it, but they used to do country roads in
upper Michigan with a process like that and they were quite durable.
With only 400 square feet you would have a high fixed cost in getting
any commercial concern to work on it. So this is a DIY project. I have
seen exactly what you describe on "This Old House" and they were able
to select various colors. Check out their site for possibilities. Your
timing on this is not so good with winter closing in. You might have
to do the crack cleaning and filling while you can now and finish the
work next spring.
Al
PS. If you end up with gravel chips on the surface, you won't be too
happy walking around in your bare feet as you said you liked to do.
Tony Sivori
I've got no suggestion for your preferred gray color. All the driveway
sealers I've seen are black.
I think you are past the optimal season to reseal your driveway. I
resealed mine this year, and all of the products I looked at wanted warm
days above 70 degrees with no chance of rain for at least two or three
days.
I went with the best sealer that Lowes sells. Black Jack brand with
claimed 10 year durability. I'll be happy if it lasts five years.
Like painting, the prep was 90% of the work. I had good luck with the wide
brush (looked a lot like a coarse bristled push broom) method, as opposed
to the squeegee method of application.
I applied two coats and used 17 gallons on my 50 foot driveway.
Here are before, during, and after photos, plus the label directions from
the sealer.
http://picasaweb.google.com/TonySivori/House#5403973678033853010
http://picasaweb.google.com/TonySivori/House#5403973684624412994
http://picasaweb.google.com/TonySivori/House#5403973688306472834
http://picasaweb.google.com/TonySivori/House#5403973683353392034
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Tony Sivori
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