An asphalt patch can mend your pothole problems

Q: What recommendations do you have for the use of cold asphalt patch, available in hardware stores? Is there a maximum size this patch is good for? Would it work on a patch about 2-by-3 feet in a low-traffic area? Some vehicles would go over it at low speed.

Q: I am wondering if asphalt sealing does anything other than give asphalt the "wet look." In other words, if I go to the effort to seal, am I deriving any benefit?

A: Newer cold-patch materials work very well for small potholes no larger than about 2-by-2. In the past, cold patch was generally considered a temporary fix until 400-degree hot asphalt could be installed. A 60-pound bag typically costs around $15, no one-ton minimum purchase required like for hot mix (and a lot less mess in the back of your pickup). Cold patch must be at least 2 inches thick in order to work well. No edge sealing or primer is needed. Compacted cold patch can achieve a 90 percent rate of compaction, and (get this!) be installed directly into standing water. A hand tamper or a simple 2-by-4 can be used to beat it into submission.

If this material is so great, more comfortable and safer than hot material, why isn't it used for larger paving projects? The easy answer is, it's clumpy and can't be evenly spread by paving machines.

Easing slightly into the second reader's inquiry, Don Holt, owner of Seal Pro, says that cold patch doesn't lend itself well to seal coating, however. The sealer just doesn't adhere well. The tar needed around hot asphalt patches can be very sticky, so Holt and the two younger generations of Holts (David, Josh and Joey) working together in the family business use a product called AR4000 with a bit of sand sprinkled on top to keep it off the bottoms of feet — and, by extension, off the living-room carpet.

Sealing is becoming more and more popular with property managers and homeowners, as the life of an asphalt parking lot or driveway can be extended by a number of years. Petroleum products dripping from cars cause pavement to "unravel"; the rock and binder separate, allowing the asphalt to slowly disintegrate. Sealing protects the surface and keeps the oil off. (And looks darned good as well.) Huge mall lots now are routinely sealed, because the owners find it helps reduce repair and replacement costs. Lifespan of a sealer is three to five years. Sealing is not done on roads since it would quickly wear; the oil leaks are not concentrated; and the entire road bed tends to wear down with traffic, rather than unravel.

"Road asphalt" mix utilizes 1 ½-inch crushed rocks, is laid a foot or more thick, and is more durable than the 2- to 3-inch thick material (with 5/8-inch rock) in parking lots and driveways. Paved sports courts, by contrast, have much smaller rock. Asphalt sealing and paving are weather-limited and can be accomplished only in dry weather, with sealing even more temperamental with regard to temperature and moisture forecasts. Expect to pay from 10-25 cents per square foot for asphalt sealing installed professionally.

Q: I am putting together a deck railing that I intend to stain and seal. Due to some very poor carpentry work by yours truly, gaps were left. I want to caulk them, but I know it would look bad when it gets stained. Any ideas?

A: I stir a bunch of sawdust from the material to be stained into latex caulking, mix it up real well and smear it into the cracks. Works every time. Good luck!

Stop the presses! Clear duct tape is here. Yup, clear duct tape. We've seen books, folk songs and even nursery rhymes about duct tape, the product that's good for everything, well, except sealing ducts (no, I am not kidding). All those taillights, window panes and other objects that just cannot be held together with gray tape now can be held together with clear duct tape. A hearty cheer for the 3M company!

It claims the new product is UV resistant and will last six times longer than the old material. Imagine the possibilities. The mind of the consumer will be the real test, though. Will it still be "duct tape" if it isn't gray? Will it still maddeningly stick to itself when being pulled off the roll? Will it make the same great noise as it unravels, and leave the same residue on the fingers? Stay tuned: A live report will be forthcoming just as soon as I get my hands on some.

Darrell Hay answers readers' questions. Call 206-464-8514 to record your question, or e-mail dhay@seattletimes.com. Sorry, no personal replies.