Asphalt Driveways near you

The right fix depends on what is failing: the surface, a few isolated spots, or the base underneath. A contractor should tell you which before recommending work, since new asphalt over a failing base only hides the problem.

Most driveway failures start below the asphalt. A new driveway begins with removing the old surface and any soft or organic soil, then building a granular base in layers, each one compacted with a plate compactor or roller. A base that is too thin for the soil, or poorly compacted, lets the surface sink under tires and heave with frost, and more asphalt on top will not fix it.

Drainage is designed at the same time. The finished surface should slope away from the house and garage so rain and meltwater run toward the street, a lawn or a drain, never toward the foundation or the neighbour's lot. The thickness of the base and of the asphalt is set by the contractor for the soil, the drainage and the vehicles that will use the driveway, and both belong in the written quote along with the type of asphalt mix.

New asphalt stays soft for a while after paving, especially in hot weather. Follow the contractor's guidance on when to walk, drive and park on it. In the meantime, avoid turning the steering wheel while the car is stopped, keep kickstands, trailer jacks and heavy loads off it, and stay away from the edges, the easiest part to crush.

Sealing, often called sealcoating, adds a thin protective coat that slows the drying and fading of the surface and keeps water, fuel and oil from soaking in. It isn't applied to fresh asphalt: contractors wait until the new surface has cured, then reseal every few years depending on sun, traffic and wear. Cracks are filled and the surface cleaned first. In Montreal, washing paved surfaces with a garden hose is allowed only from April 1 to May 15 or for sanitation reasons, so plan cleaning around local water rules.

Pavement sealers have long come in two main families, asphalt-based and coal-tar-based. Coal-tar sealers contain high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and the federal government has acted on them to prevent harm to the environment and reduce health risks. Under the Certain Products Containing Toxic Substances Regulations, the manufacture and import of coal-tar-based pavement sealants have been prohibited since October 1, 2025 and their sale since December 31, 2025, along with pavement sealants whose PAH content exceeds the limit the regulations set.

Winter damages asphalt mostly through water and blades. Meltwater that seeps into cracks freezes and pries them open, and a plow blade or steel shovel set too low catches raised edges, patches and seams. Ask your snow removal contractor to protect the surface with blade shoes or a slightly raised blade, mark the driveway edges with stakes before the ground freezes, and keep snowbanks from being piled on edges where the meltwater will sit.

Where a crack appears and what it looks like tells you a lot about its cause. Scattered narrow cracks usually come from the surface aging and drying out, and can be sealed. Cracks that link into a pattern of small blocks, often called alligator cracking, point to a base that is giving way under load, and that area has to be cut out and rebuilt rather than filled.

Paving scams come back every spring and summer. The federal Office of Consumer Affairs warns that someone who comes to your door offering to pave your driveway and asking for cash up front may be running a scam, and that such crews may leave the job unfinished or use substandard materials.

Provincial law gives you time to back out of a contract signed at home. In Ontario, a contract signed at your home comes with a 10-day cooling-off period that starts the day you receive a written copy of the agreement. In Quebec, a contractor who solicits you at home is an itinerant merchant: you can cancel within 10 days of receiving a written copy of the contract, and within one year if the merchant did not hold a valid permit from the Office de la protection du consommateur when you signed.

Repaving within the existing outline rarely needs approval, but widening the driveway, moving it or adding a parking pad often does, since municipalities regulate driveway width, how much of the front yard can be paved and where runoff goes. Anything that touches the curb or the public sidewalk involves the city: in Montreal, a borough permit is required before a curb cut is created, removed or modified. Get that approval before paving day.