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While it’s an arduous task that needs to be done in the heat of the summer, sealing your asphalt driveway is a necessary task in maintaining its integrity. Here are the five steps you need to take to prepare your driveway to look like new again:

1) Pick a good span of days
The first step in this process is scouting out the weather reports and seeing where there is a good three or four-day span of hot temperatures without any rain.

2) Measure
You will want to measure the dimensions of your driveway and keep that information when you plan on picking up the material that you will need.

3) Get your materials
The materials you will need for this project are as follows: asphalt patch, brush and squeegee attachment, driveway sealer and a ‘70s disco outfit that you never plan on wearing again (or some other beat-up clothes – whichever you find first will suffice). When buying driveway sealer you will usually have a few choices between 2, 5, 7 and 10-year sealer. The less years each sealer has usually correlates with how watered down it is. Obviously the two-year sealer will be cheaper but you will find yourself sealing your driveway a lot more frequently. A pretty safe bet is the five-year sealer if you’re looking for a good combo of durability and value.

When you get home, flip all of the pails and let them sit on their tops overnight. You are doing this because all of the material has settled in the bottom before you had it. Flipping it to the top will make it easier to stir the next day.

4) Clean, Clean, Clean
The day before you start sealing, you will be performing a couple different tasks. The first is making sure that everything is cleared off your driveway. Leaves, grass and loose gravel can be a pain when it’s stuck in your bristles and you’re spreading it out all over your driveway. It will also make it so your sealer doesn’t last as long.

5) Repair
The second task that you will do the day before you seal your driveway is to seal the cracks in it. Take the asphalt patch that you bought, follow the directions for stirring, and put it where you find any cracks.