Crack Sealing & Patching in Arlington Heights, IL

Crack sealing and patching are the two repairs that keep a driveway or lot from sliding into replacement. Crack sealing fills open cracks with a hot, flexible, rubberized sealant so water cannot reach the base. Patching cuts out failed areas such as potholes, sunken spots and broken edges and rebuilds them with new base and hot-mix asphalt. Done on time, both cost far less than the damage they prevent.

Why timing matters

In the northwest suburbs, the average January high is below freezing. Water in an open crack freezes and expands, widening the crack; in spring it softens the base below. Sealing cracks in late summer or fall, before freeze-up, keeps the most water out over the winter. Spring is when potholes appear, and the right time to patch them is once the ground has thawed and dried.

Crack sealing

Cracks are cleaned out with air or a heat lance. Working cracks may be routed into a clean channel. Hot sealant is applied and finished flush or with a slight band. It stays flexible through temperature swings. Alligator cracking, a dense web of cracks, signals base failure and needs a patch instead.

Patching options

• Saw-cut patch: failed area cut square, removed, base rebuilt and compacted, new hot mix placed and rolled. The lasting fix.
• Infrared repair: existing asphalt heated and reworked with fresh material; good for surface damage on a firm base.
• Cold patch: temporary winter fill until a proper repair.
• Edge repair: broken edges cut back and rebuilt with support.

Patch or replace?

Scattered failures are worth patching. When failures cover much of the surface or keep multiplying, the base is giving out overall, and replacement or resurfacing is better value. We price both options when it is close.

For associations and businesses

Condo associations, churches and businesses can have cracks sealed and patches done in sections, then sealcoated and restriped in the same season.

Why spring is so hard on pavement

When frost leaves the ground from the top down, water trapped in the base cannot drain into the still-frozen soil below. The base is saturated and weak, and loads that would do little damage in summer break it apart. That is why potholes appear in March and April.

Fixing the cause

At the estimate we look for why each area failed: a downspout dumping onto the pavement, a low spot that holds water, a settled utility trench. Fixing the cause is part of the quote when possible.

Repairs before sealing

If you are planning a sealcoat, crack sealing and patching come first. Sealer is too thin to fill cracks or hold a failed patch together, so the repairs need to be done and set before the coat goes on.

Utility trench settlement

Water, sewer, gas and fiber trenches across driveways sometimes settle years after they were backfilled, leaving a sunken line. We cut out the strip, recompact or replace the fill and repave it level.