Asphalt Resurfacing in Toms River, NJ

Asphalt resurfacing places a new layer of hot-mix over an existing driveway or lot. It is a good option when the old surface is worn, faded or lightly cracked but still firm, with no sinking and no spreading cracks. Because the old pavement stays in place as part of the base, HomeGuide estimates savings of about 20 to 30 percent compared with replacement.

Checking the base

We walk the surface, probe soft spots and look for spiderweb cracking. A few failed spots can be cut out and rebuilt first. If failures are everywhere, an overlay will crack again along the same lines, often within a year or two, and replacement is the better spend.

Heights and transitions

An overlay usually adds about 1.5 to 2 inches. On a short driveway that can leave a lip at the garage or the street and send water toward the house. We mill or saw-cut the old surface at the garage, walks, Belgian block and the apron so the new layer meets them flush.

Stacked overlays

Many older Toms River driveways have been overlaid more than once, and each layer raised the surface. If the driveway now sits above the garage floor or the walk, another overlay makes it worse. Milling off old layers, or full replacement, puts it back at the right height.

Preparation

• Rebuilding failed patches to full depth
• Filling wider cracks
• Milling or cutting edges
• Sweeping and spraying a tack coat
• Placing and rolling the overlay

Cost

HomeGuide lists overlays at $1 to $3 per square foot and resurfacing older surfaces at $3 to $7 per square foot when more prep is involved. Angi lists typical driveway resurfacing at $500 to $2,000. We price repairs separately from the overlay.

Resurfacing parking areas

For community, church and retail lots, a mill-and-overlay is often the most economical way to renew a large surface. Milling along curbs and drains keeps water flowing to the inlets after the new layer goes down, and failed areas near entrances and dumpsters are rebuilt first.

When resurfacing is the wrong choice

• Spiderweb cracking across most of the surface
• Sunken areas or ruts in the tire paths
• Water pumping up through cracks after rain
• Several old overlays already stacked up

In those cases, replacement lasts longer and costs less over time.