Asphalt Repair & Crack Filling in Palmdale, CA

Asphalt repair and crack filling keep a driveway or parking lot in service for years longer than it would last on its own. In Palmdale, a crack that opens during a summer heat spell takes in sand and water. On one of the roughly 52 freezing mornings the city averages each year, water in the crack freezes and expands. By spring the crack is wider and the edges are crumbling. Filling cracks before winter, and fixing potholes and broken edges as soon as they show up, is far cheaper than replacing pavement later.

Crack filling

Cracks wider than about a quarter inch are cleaned out with air, then filled with hot-applied rubberized crack filler that stays flexible through hot days and cold nights. Hairline cracks are usually handled by sealcoating. Wide, branching cracks in a pattern that looks like alligator skin are a sign of base failure, and filling them is only a short-term fix. Those areas need patching.

Patching methods

• Saw-cut patch: the failed area is cut out with straight edges, the base is repaired and compacted, and new hot asphalt is placed and rolled. This is the durable repair for potholes and alligator cracking.
• Hot patch without cutting: faster and cheaper, suited to shallow surface damage.
• Infrared repair: the existing asphalt is heated, reworked with new material and rolled, leaving no seam.
• Cold patch: a temporary fix for emergencies until a permanent repair can be made.

Edges and drainage

Edges break off where there is no curb and nothing holds the asphalt in place, especially where water runs along the side or where tires ride the edge. We rebuild the edge with new base and asphalt and shape the shoulder so water runs away from it. If a low spot keeps collecting water or blown sand, we correct the grade instead of patching the same place every year.

Repair or replace?

HomeGuide suggests repairing when damage covers less than about 25 to 30 percent of the surface, cracks are less than 2 inches deep, the base is stable and drainage is not a problem. Past that, an overlay or replacement usually costs less over time. We show you the numbers for both when it is close.

Trip hazards and liability

For businesses and HOAs, potholes and raised edges are trip hazards. We can prioritize the worst areas first and schedule the rest with your next sealcoat.