Crack Sealing Vs Crack Filling

Cracks on asphalt pavements are not exactly an uncommon sight. Temperature changes, water penetration, and traffic movement are some of the most common causes of asphalt cracks. Crack filling and crack sealing are two methods to repair these seemingly inevitable cracks and add a few more years to the life of your asphalt pavement.

Both cracks filling and crack sealing are efficient pavement repair techniques. However, choosing the right method based on the type of crack you are dealing with is essential to getting satisfactory and lasting results. These techniques come with different sets of benefits. To leverage desirable outcomes, let’s find out more about these pavement repair techniques.

What Is Crack Filling and crack sealing?

Crack filling is a popular and cost-effective method to tackle the problem of pavement cracks. It helps close the cracks and dissuade water penetration. The materials used for crack filling include asphalt emulsions, liquid asphalt, and cutbacks.

One factor you should consider before opting for crack filling is diagnosing the type of the crack. Crack filling is specifically for non-working cracks. These are ‘motionless’ or inactive cracks that do not expand or contract. Generally, cracks with vertical or horizontal movement less than 0.1 inches are considered non-working cracks. The common examples of non-working cracks are diagonal cracks and alligator cracks.

Rightly assessing the crack is a must because the crack filling method will not save a working crack. This means that it is useless to spend on crack filling to repair active cracks; you will only end up refilling cracks, and the problem will keep coming back.

Crack filling is also effective and advised for areas with consistent temperatures. It is the best solution for you if you live in a milder climate with less extreme temperature swings.

What About Crack Sealing?

Crack sealing is the second way to deal with pavement cracks and prevent minor cracks from worsening into something more serious. While crack sealing costs more than crack filling, it is also more efficient in restoring the health of an asphalt pavement.

Crack sealing is a potent solution for dealing with active cracks. As opposed to non-working cracks, active cracks contract and expand from season to season. Such cracks are more likely to move more than 0.1 inches horizontally and/or vertically. Traverse cracks are the most common type of active cracks.

The crack sealing procedure involves the use of a specially prepared hot pour. This pour is a powerful mixture of rubberized asphalt, low-modulus rubberized asphalt, and self-leveling silicone. The mixture is a rubberized sealant and seals the cracks despite movements.

There you go! If you are fed up with pavement cracks, you now have two solutions. For best crack repair results, speak to a professional asphalt contractor in your area, and they will help you with the correct evaluation of the type of pavement cracks you are dealing with. This will help you choose the best-suited crack repair option, be it crack filling or crack sealing.

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Commonwealth Paving, 136 Outerloop, Louisville, Kentucky 40214
Phone: 502-459-7283, Fax: 502-456-2678

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