How to Remove Weeds & Repair an Asphalt Driveway or Path:

Weeds can be a real pain. They will often grow around the edge of driveways (where there is a join). Or, in any cracks that have appeared. A ‘self seeded’ weed problem (weeds in cracks and holes) can easily be repaired and its reaccourance can be prevented.

The important thing with weeds in cracks, edges and holes, is to fix the issue. As the weeds grow, they will begin to loosen the asphalt, and the holes and cracks will get bigger, with the problem getting worse over time.

Video: Removing Weeds From a Driveway or Path and Repairing the Holes.

How to Repair a Driveway – Weed Removal

Topics:


Tools & Materials Required:

How to Repair a Driveway – Weeds
  • A power washer (preferred), or a hose with spray attachment.
  • Bitumen Paint.
  • Paint brushes, (These should be throw away items).
  • A pot for storing dirty brushes (so they don’t dry out).

The Repair:

How can we get rid of the weeds?
  1. The first thing, is to kill the weeds with your chosen weed killer:
How to Repair a Driveway – Removing Weeds
  1. Leave for at least a week so that the roots absorb the weed killer.
  2. Then pull the weeds up if you can (or, use a pressure washer!).
How to Repair a Driveway – Power Washing Weeds
  1. Make sure all the dirt is washed away, to provide a good clean surface for the repair to stick to.

But, be careful you don’t wash the drive away!

How to Repair a Driveway – Killing the Weeds and Pressure Washing
  1. Check for roots?
  2. Use pliers, or a ‘v shaped’ root removal tool.
How to Repair a Driveway – Removing Roots with Pliers

Now we can start filling the root holes, and stop the roots coming back!

  1. The hole (or crack) around the edge of the asphalt (I had painted part of the driveway at this point). I’m using a water-soluble bitumen paint, (there are other types that need thinners),
How to Repair a Driveway – The Holes Caused by Weed Roots
  1. Use a watered down first coat as a primer. This helps everything stick.
How to Repair a Driveway – Painting Bitumen
  1. Then add some small stones to fill the holes. This is to strengthen the repair and prevent dips that can fill with water.
How to Repair a Driveway – Add Some Small Stones to Fill the Holes
  1. Add more bitumen around the stones.
  2. Make sure the bitumen paint fills all the gaps.

Leave the bitumen to soak in…

  1. Then check for pin holes, (so, there is nowhere for weeds to grow).
How to Repair a Driveway – Check for Pin Holes, (So, There is Nowhere for Weeds to Grow)
  1. Apply another coat if necessary.
  2. Work the bitumen into the pin holes so no air is trapped.
  3. Leave to dry.

The worse case:

The worse case scenario, is when a new driveway has been incorrectly installed. This is where a thin layer of asphalt is laid on top of ground that is already full of weeds! Weeds can randomly appear through the thin layer of asphalt, (this is where the asphalt is on top of a base that hasn’t been correctly prepared). Unfortunately, this is a problem with the way the driveway has been installed, and may not be easily repairable (usually visible on badly installed driveways a year or two old).


Notes (Hints & Tips):

  • Move any items that can get splashed with Bitumen (especially plastics), as it can be difficult to clean off.
  • The darker colour will lighten with time.
  • Store brushes in water (for water-soluble bitumen).
  • Be prepared to throw any brushes out when you finish, as they may be difficult to clean?
How to Repair a Driveway – Storing Your Brush When Painting With Bitumen

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