Tarmac cover ups - advice please? - As above

[mckale]

I have a vey worn tarmac drive which has had further damage to it as a result of a recent extension to our house.

I've been trying to find a low cost way of improving it's appearance and wondered if anyone had an experience of using the various tarmac cover up products on the market?If so,

What are the results like?
How well does it wear?

I plan to repair the damged areas, potholes etc with cold tar first. Does this plan sound feasible? I would be grateful for any sound advice you can offer.

Thanks

[seanandruby]

I temporarily repaired my drive 3 years ago with bags of tar. Built it up in layers and used a pummel to flatten it. It is still good, has'nt broken down yet through all the severe weather we have had.Done right it should last a while.

[Amogen]

We do this kind of work on a regular basis. Years ago we used cheap "back to black" so called sealants, but found they werent worth bothering with.

We now use a premium resin based solution which is applied a lot faster, with more even and longer lasting results. One drive has been done 3-4 years ago and is in frequent use, and it still shows no signs of wear and tear!!

As for repairing with cold tarmac, just make sure you dig out enough in the hole to ensure a good thickness of cold tarmac. A quick brush with Tack Coat or similar wil help the tarmac bond into the hole. As siad above, compaction is key to a long lasting repair. For small holes, fill the hole with loose tarmac so it is about 20mm proud of the finished surface. Then tamp down using a bit of 2"x2" wood and a lump hammer to ensure a flat final finish.

If you are going to seal the drive afterwards, and have used cold tamac to repair holes, always leave for 3-4 weks to let the cold cure tarmac fully set. If applied too early you may notice a difference where the repair has ben due to the solvents or whatever they put in cold tarmac evaporating off.

[mckale]

That sounds great. Many thanks to you both for the advice.
Just another question though..

The area of the drive cut away during building work has been replaced by Type 1, if the larger stones in it are removed would this provide a suitable base for the cold tar or would I need to do something else?

Thanks again

[Dave_L]

Tar directly onto compacted type 1 roadstone will be fine. You want 50mm or so of depth.

[mckale]

Thankyou for the advice.