Seven Signs It Is Time to Repave Instead of Repair
· 5 min read
Patching is cheap and buys time. But once the base under the surface has failed, every repair is temporary. These are the signals we look for on an estimate visit.
Surface-level problems you can repair
Isolated cracks under a quarter inch, a single pothole, faded color, and minor edge raveling are all repairable. Crack fill, patching, and a resurface over a sound base will get years more out of the driveway.
Signs the base has failed
When the problem is structural, the fix is full-depth replacement of the affected area — or the whole driveway if it is widespread.
- Alligator cracking — interconnected cracks in a scaled pattern
- Surfaces that flex or spring under a vehicle tire
- Potholes that return in the same spot after patching
- Standing water 24 hours after rain
- Crumbling, unsupported edges
- Large settled or sunken areas
- More than about 25 to 30 percent of the surface already patched
Resurfacing as the middle option
If the base is sound and the problems are cosmetic, an overlay adds a new wearing course at a fraction of replacement cost. If the base is not sound, an overlay mirrors the same cracks within a season or two.