Tarmac driveways are extremely popular, and for good reason. They’re reliable, durable, low maintenance and low cost, as well as looking sleek and classic. However, they can struggle in very hot weather.
Luckily for your driveway, in the UK we don’t often get particularly hot weather. But with more and more heatwaves and unpredictable weather, it’s good to be ready. That’s why we’ve laid out some top tips for looking after your driveway when the sun does come out.
A quick and easy way of giving your driveway some love in hot weather is to wash it down with some cold water. Spraying your driveway with a hose, or even throwing a few buckets of cold water over it, can help to keep the temperature of the tarmac down and stop it from melting or warping in the heat. The best time of day to get the hose out for maximum impact is in the middle of the day, when the sun is at its hottest.
Planting trees or shrubs along the edges of your driveway is a great way of creating some shade and keeping your driveway out of direct, hot sunlight. Alternatively, if you already have some shrubs and bushes around your driveway, you could consider waiting to trim them back until the summer’s over.
When your tarmac driveway gets very hot it’s much more prone to warp as it gets softer and more malleable. To avoid making dents in your driveway, it’s a good idea to refrain from anything which puts uneven pressure on it during the hottest parts of the day. Things like ladders, car jacks and trailer jockey wheels can easily make dents in the surface of your driveway when it’s at its softest, so if you need to work on your car or put a ladder up on the driveway it’s best to do this first thing in the morning or otherwise wait until the evening.
When the weather is dry and hot, it’s the perfect time to take care of sealing your driveway.
The heat makes the sealant run thinner so it can get deeper into any cracks, and it also makes it dry quicker and harder, bonding better to the surface of your driveway. If you spot a few dry, hot days in a row on the weather forecast, why not take the opportunity to give your driveway a bit of love?
For any and all of your driveway needs, you can get in touch with our team at Hazel & Jefferies. We have over 50 years of experience in our field, and are more than happy to help with anything to do with driveways.
