Crack Sealing in Eagan, MN

Crack sealing fills open cracks in asphalt with a flexible, hot-applied sealant so water cannot get into the base. It is the cheapest maintenance a driveway or lot can get, and in Minnesota it may be the most important. Every open crack is a path for water. In winter that water freezes and expands, widening the crack. In spring it softens the gravel base. A sealed crack stays a crack instead of becoming a pothole.

Sealing vs. filling

Crack sealing uses a hot, rubberized material that stays flexible and bonds to the crack walls, so it moves as the pavement expands and contracts with temperature. Crack filling is a broader term that includes cheaper, less flexible materials used for wide or inactive cracks. On working cracks, the ones that open in winter and close in summer, hot sealant lasts longer.

Which cracks are worth sealing

• Longitudinal and transverse cracks from about 1/8 inch to about 3/4 inch wide
• Cracks along the joint where a driveway meets the garage slab or curb
• Reflective cracks coming up through an older overlay

Very wide cracks may need a backer or a patch instead. Alligator cracking, a dense web of small cracks, means the base has failed and sealing will not save it; that area needs a patch.

How we do it

Cracks are cleaned out with compressed air or a hot-air lance to remove dirt, vegetation and moisture. Working cracks may be routed into a clean reservoir so the sealant has a uniform channel to grip. Hot sealant is applied, struck off flush or in a slight band, and allowed to set. Most driveways can be driven on the same day.

Timing in Eagan

The best window is late summer through fall, before the first hard freeze, when cracks are partly open and the pavement is dry. Sealing then keeps the most water out over winter. Crack sealing also comes before sealcoating, so the coat goes over closed cracks instead of sinking into open ones.

What sealed cracks look like

A properly sealed crack shows as a neat black band, usually a few inches wide, flush with the surface or slightly raised. Some owners prefer a narrower, flush look on driveways; on parking lots a wider overband adds protection at the crack edges. We tell you which finish we plan to use. After a few seasons, sealed cracks may need touch-ups as the pavement keeps moving, and new cracks will appear as it ages. A yearly or every-other-year check in the fall keeps up with them.

For parking lots and associations

On commercial lots and townhome private drives, crack sealing on a regular cycle stretches the time between overlays. Eagan treats its own streets the same way, using routine maintenance to push pavement life well past the 20 to 25 years a street lasts without it.