How to Fill Potholes – DIY

First off you are probably wondering how the heck can I repair potholes better than a professional can. Well, road crews when repair the potholes in the roadways do not have the time to cut and shape a hole in a rectangular shape, which usually lengthens the life of the repair. A homeowner, or parking lot contractor, on the other hand, can take the time and care to do a better job and improve results.

When planning ot repair the potholes in your parking lot or driveway, you should consider the following and plan ahead.

Should you use hot asphalt or cold mix to repair potholes?

Cold mix patch repair is recommended for those who do not have professional asphalt repair experience. Anyone can easily learn to work with cold mix, and do not need any special equipment. Conversely, with hot asphalt, you need a hot box, and you need to travel to an asphalt plant to load up, which is great if you are doing a large volume of potholes or larger for larger patches, but for small parking lot jobs cold mix is the fastest, and easiest way to get the job done.

What tools do I need to repair potholes?

Cold mix asphalt
Concrete Saw (optional but recommended)
Hand Tamper or Plate Tamper
Shovels
Gravel (if base is deteriorated)

Pothole Repair Step 1 – Cut a square or rectangle around the pothole to square edges

Using a concrete saw, make 4 straight up and down cuts framing the pothole. This step is optional, however squared edges make the repair last longer.

Pothole Repair Step 2 – Remove Asphalt and Debris

If required chisel the asphalt to loosen and break up to make it easier to remove. After the affected area is nice and loose, remove all of the asphalt pieces, weeds, and debris.

Pothole Repair Step 4 – Assess the Condition of the Base

Once all asphalt is removed examine the base to determine if any damage has occurred. If the gravel has all washed out you will need to add a sand/ gravel mix and tamp it down to make a stable base for the new asphalt patch. Build up the base to within 1” of the top of the asphalt.

Pothole Repair Step 5 – Shovel in Asphalt

Add in a half inch layer of cold mix and tamp down. Then top up slightly higher than the surrounding surface.

Pothole Repair Step 6 – Tamping Asphalt Mix

There are 3 different methods for tamping. Choose the method that works best for you.

Plate tamper / vibrating plate: This method is the most effective because it allows you to get the most compaction, and do it in less time.
Hand tamper: This method is cost effective, but requires the most effort, and takes longer.
Drive over piece of plywood. This method leaves the flattest surface but may take longer to setup and do a couple of passes over the plywood with a vehicle. If using this method, remember to oil the bottom of the plywood so the cold mix does not stick to it.

Pothole Repair Step 7 – Asphalt Patch Assessment

After compaction is completed using one of the above methods be sure that the patch is as level as possible with the surrounding pavement. It must not be below the level of the surrounding pavement or pooling will occur, and the patch will not last very long.