Your driveway can handle impressive levels of stress, but it can’t resist everything. Here are some surprising things that can wreck your driveway.
You use your driveway pretty much every day for parking your go-to mode of transportation, hanging out with friends, drawing chalky hopscotch diagrams with your kids, and other activities. There’s no doubt that your driveway is strong. After all, it can handle the monumental weight of heavy vehicles without a problem. But this doesn’t mean that it’s indestructible, and some of the things that can take a major toll on it might surprise you. Since you use your driveway so often, the last thing you want is for it to be full of cracks, holes, and dents. Here are some surprising things that could be damaging your drivewayand how to prevent them.
Your Landscaping
You just situated a ton of plants, shrubs, and trees around the side of your driveway, and they look incredible! But don’t be fooled—underneath all that beauty, your plants are concealing cruel intentions. Their roots can creep beneath the pavement and push against it, forcing it to give way. This can then leave your driveway looking like a stained-glass project gone awry. Luckily, you can prevent this from happening by bordering the driveway with barriers or by planting new vegetation as far away from the driveway as possible.
Snow and Ice Removal
The ice and snow that come with winter can wreak havoc on your pavement, but the methods you use to remove them are also surprising things that could be damaging your driveway. Using rock salt will hasten the melting process, but it will also wreaking havoc on driveway material. Additionally, metal shovels can do a great deal of damage if the blades strike the surface. So, you face an ultimate dilemma. You’re doomed if you clear your driveway, but you’re also doomed if you don’t. The best way to reduce the amount of damage snow and ice does to your driveway is to remove them with different methods. Use plastic shovels instead of metal and calcium chloride in lieu of rock salt.
Rainstorms
Rainwater is one of the top causes of cracks in asphalt and other pavement materials because it decreases their strength and durability. This can lead to the creation of new cracks and holes and worsen existing ones. If water tends to pool on your driveway, consider installing a new drainage system or making alterations to the surrounding landscape to direct the flow of water away from your driveway. Creating swales on one or both sides of your driveway is one way to do this. You can decorate these swales with rocks and water-resistant plants to make them look nice and not just like utilitarian indentations in the ground.