Wide Crack Repair Using Mastic

Wide cracks can be sealed with crackseal making them waterproof but they will never look flush.  As the sealer cools it holds fast to the sides, but sags in the middle or “hammocks” and loses that level and uniform look you want.  You would think that adding more sealer would fill it in and believe me I’ve tried, but multiple applications don’t make a dent.

The solution is mastic.  It melts and goes down as a “hot pour” material, but the similarities to crackseal end there.  Mastic contains aggregate and secret formulations that result in a rigid set in just a few minutes. The aggregate precludes you running this through a pump so forget about throwing a few bricks in with your crackseal unless you have a direct-fire melter.

The hand tools are also different.  No squeegees.  Instead you will be pushing or pulling metal drag boxes or screeds.  Best to heat them first and afterwards it will take a fair amount of heating to clean them.

Those metal tools transfer a lot of heat so you will want to upgrade your gloves to thicker leather.  We’ve also found it critical to communicate when moving around with a hot tool.  

 Pros:

• Easy to work with any time.
• Not dependent on batch plant being open.
• Can open to traffic quickly.
• Durable.
• Looks great.
• Can be sealcoated.

Cons:

• Not appropriate for areas with lots of oil (parking spaces at local auto parts store or filling station).
• Larger patches more expensive than asphalt.
• Steep learning curve.