Asphalt & Driveway Repair

When Repair Makes Sense (and When It Doesn't)

Not every damaged driveway needs to be torn out and repaved. Surface cracks, small potholes, and localized settling can usually be repaired at a fraction of the cost of a full replacement. But there's a line — once the base has failed, patching the surface is just putting a bandage on a deeper problem.

Here's the honest breakdown: if the damage is limited to the top layer and the base underneath is still solid, repair is the right call. If you're seeing widespread alligator cracking, large areas of settling, or water pooling where it didn't before, the base has likely deteriorated and you're better off with a full replacement. We'll tell you which one you need during the site visit.

Types of Asphalt Repair

Crack Sealing

Linear cracks — the kind that run in straight or branching lines — get cleaned out and filled with hot-pour rubberized crack sealer. This material stays flexible through freeze-thaw cycles, expanding and contracting with the asphalt. It's the single best maintenance step for extending the life of an existing driveway.

Pothole Patching

Potholes form when water penetrates the surface, freezes in the base, and breaks apart the asphalt from underneath. We cut the damaged area square (round patches don't hold), excavate the failed material, rebuild the base if needed, and fill with hot mix asphalt compacted in layers. A proper pothole repair should last as long as the surrounding pavement.

Infrared Asphalt Repair

For medium-sized areas — too big for a patch, too small to justify resurfacing — infrared repair is the best option. We heat the damaged area with infrared equipment until the existing asphalt becomes workable again, add new hot mix material, and recompact the entire section into a seamless repair. No saw cuts, no cold joints. The repair bonds with the original surface at a molecular level.

Overlay / Resurfacing

If the base is still sound but the surface layer is worn out across most of the driveway, an overlay (also called resurfacing) adds a new 1.5 to 2-inch layer of hot mix on top of the existing surface. This gives you a brand-new driving surface at roughly 40-60% of the cost of a full tear-out and rebuild. We mill or clean the existing surface, apply tack coat for adhesion, and lay the new asphalt.

Full Depth Repair

When the base has failed in specific areas — deep settling, alligator cracking, sinkholes — we do a full-depth repair. We saw-cut the damaged section, excavate everything down to solid ground, rebuild the granular base, and repave with new asphalt. It's essentially a mini-rebuild of that section of driveway.

Common Damage Patterns and What They Mean

• Linear cracks — normal aging. The surface contracts in cold weather and cracks along stress lines. Seal them before water gets in.
• Alligator cracking — base failure. The pattern looks like reptile skin. Surface repair won't fix this — the base needs attention.
• Edge crumbling — lack of edge support or poor original compaction at the borders. Common on driveways without curbing.
• Depressions and birdbaths — settling in the base, often due to poor compaction during original construction or water erosion underneath.
• Potholes — water intrusion + freeze cycles. Once a pothole starts, it grows quickly. Fix them early.

Repair Costs

Asphalt repair in the GTA ranges from $100 to $2,000+ depending on the scope:

• Crack sealing: $100-$400 for a typical driveway
• Pothole patching: $150-$500 per pothole depending on size
• Infrared repair: $300-$800 per area
• Overlay/resurfacing: $2-$4 per square foot
• Full depth: priced per section, varies widely

Compare that to a full driveway replacement at $4-8 per square foot — repair makes financial sense when the base is still good.

Service Area

We repair asphalt driveways and surfaces across the GTA — Toronto, Vaughan, Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, North York, Scarborough, and Richmond Hill.