As a homeowner, you realize how important it is to maintain your property, especially your driveway. The wear and tear of repeatedly driving on it will cause the quality of your driveway to decrease, but depending on where you live, you can’t always know the best time to repave it.

So, when is the best time to repave your driveway? We understand that you may experience difficulties with your driveway in any season, but Greenway Industries would recommend that you have your driveway repaved in the late spring or summer. Usually, the repaving process depends on temperature and weather condition, so let’s discuss this further.

Why the Timing Matters

First, let’s talk about why the season matters. Hot Mix Asphalt is kept in a liquid state because the embedded aggregate will be evenly mixed and it is easier to pour. With warm weather, it is easier to pour the asphalt, spread it, and level it off while it is still liquid. When asphalt cools, it will then harden evenly and provide you with a long-lasting surface.

Laying asphalt in the winter is tough. When it leaves the truck that it’s stored in, it will start to harden quicker, which will make pouring it a harder process. If the ground is frozen, the embedded aggregate will loosen and break away from the binder as well.

Temperature & Weather

One of the biggest concerns of a contractor when laying asphalt is temperature and weather conditions. Hot-mix asphalt is best used in warmer temperatures, and the process of laying it can be fast, but asphalt needs time to compact (around 48 hours). Surface temperatures also play a large role in how fast the mix will cool and how much time a contractor has to complete the task.

The best temperature to pave is around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. It is possible to do so at 60 or even 50, but far harder and dependent on having a great crew.  This means paving a driveway in the winter or fall is a lot harder than in the warmer months because there is less time to work with the asphalt. Less time means that your driveway can become more prone to having bumps, being uneven or simply irregular. It is not impossible to pave in the winter, but it is not recommended because of unforeseen weather conditions in certain areas.

One weather condition that should also be avoided is rain. Laying an asphalt driveway in the rain is not a good idea because it is better to have a dry subgrade. The oils in asphalt also repel water and will make the quality of the finalized product very poor. There is also the possibility that paving on wet ground can cause potholes underneath the asphalt.

Depth of Asphalt

There are a lot of time constraints that also come along with laying a driveway and the depth of asphalt. Say your contractor is working in 40F, they will only have around 16 minutes to work with 1.5’’ depth hot-mix asphalt. Yet, as the asphalt is growing to around 3 inches, the time to work with it also grows to 46 minutes. Working with 1.5’’ of asphalt is also best used in temperatures for 70F or better. For temperatures around 50-60F, we will need to discuss with you the best plan of action for your driveway.

If you are interested in repaving your driveway, Greenway Industries are experienced professionals and Connecticut’s trusted driveway technicians. It doesn’t matter if you are looking for residential or commercial paving, we can help assist you. Give us a call at 203-885-1037