Asphalt Overlay & Resurfacing in Olympia, WA

Asphalt overlay and resurfacing means placing a new layer of hot-mix asphalt over existing pavement instead of tearing it out. Done on the right driveway or lot, it gives you a new surface at a fraction of the cost of full replacement. HomeGuide estimates that overlaying a driveway in reasonable condition saves 20 to 30 percent compared with replacement. Done on the wrong one, it simply hides problems that will crack back through within a couple of years.

Good candidates

• Pavement that is gray, oxidized and rough but not broken up
• Scattered cracks that are narrow and not connected into a web
• A sound base with no soft spots or sinking areas
• A surface that drains, or one where a modest change in grade will fix the drainage

Poor candidates

• Widespread alligator cracking, which means the base has failed
• Areas that flex or pump water when a car drives over them
• Old concrete with large moving slabs, where joints will reflect through
• Driveways where adding height would block a garage door or the edge of a walkway

How we prepare the surface

An overlay is only as good as the pavement under it. We clean the surface, dig out and rebuild any failed sections, fill wide cracks, and apply a tack coat so the new layer bonds to the old. Where the new surface has to meet a garage slab, walkway or street at the same height, we grind or mill the edges so the overlay tapers in instead of leaving a step.

Overlay thickness

Residential overlays are commonly placed at around 1.5 to 2 inches compacted. Commercial lots with truck traffic often need more. Thin overlays cool fast, which is one more reason to schedule them for the dry, warm part of the year in Olympia rather than the wet season.

Over old concrete

People often ask how long asphalt over concrete will last. It can work, but every joint and crack in the concrete is a weak line under the new asphalt. As the slabs move with temperature and moisture, those lines show up as straight cracks in the overlay. Thicker overlays and sealing the cracks as they appear slow the process. If the slabs are badly broken or uneven, removing them is usually the better spend.