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House Fix-ups
Top Fix-up Articles:
Painting creates a new palette
Besides cleaning, painting is one of the least expensive, major fix-up jobs you can do to improve the appearance of your house. If your walls haven’t been painted in the last 2 years, your house will benefit from a new paint job.
A new faucet is better than trying to fix an old one
Kitchens and bathrooms are 2 very important rooms when it comes to selling your house. Even if the budget won't allow you to update these rooms completely, sometimes a new faucet may be just the trick to give that tired kitchen or bath a bit of a lift..
Kitchens Fix Ups
A kitchen is the most important room in the house for home buyers. You can have small bedrooms, but if the kitchen is lacking in any of a number of different areas, the house falls to the bottom of many prospective buyer's list.
Blacktop driveways
Excessive heat, ultraviolet rays and substances such as salt, oil, gas and grease all take their toll on the surface and structure of blacktop driveways.
Without protection, that black driveway eventually can become a lumpy, crumbling mess. If you are willing to put forth a little effort, you can prevent these problems by sealing, protecting and maintaining your driveway.
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Blacktop driveways need sealing
Driveways tell a prospect how much you have cared for your property
The driveway is one of the most used part of your house's exterior, yet it is often one of the most neglected.
Asphalt or blacktop driveways need to be sealed every 2 - 3 years depending on surface traffic, climate and wear.
Doing the job correctly is key to a successful application. Seal coating should never be done until the ambient day and evening temperature(s) are above 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise the seal-coat doesn't cure properly and the sealer will have a tendency to wear off faster. Application procedures may differ, but the importance of using the right product cannot be overstated.
The difference in price between top of the line and a mediocre sealant is almost negligible. Go with the best.
If the asphalt driveway has cracks, these should first be sealed, otherwise water will infiltrate the underlying base which will in time result in much larger cracks and finally, complete driveway failure that will call for a complete replacement.
Preparation for asphalt driveways
Proper prepping is a must for a lasting job. Oil spots should be cleaned with a detergent (not a solvent). Weeds should be removed from all cracks and the entire surface must be thoroughly cleaned. All cracks wider than a hairline should be filled. By doing the work on a hazy summer day, it won't be scorching hot. And it'll "weather" better next winter as water won't freeze and expand tiny cracks into bigger cracks and potholes.
Sealant Products: which type is better?
Consumer-grade driveway sealers are usually water-based emulsions containing water, clay fillers, latex, polymers, additives and either coal tar or asphalt.
Coal tar products seem to have a more durable surface that is more resistant to oil or gasoline penetration than asphalt-based sealers because gasoline and oil are both solvents for asphalt but not for coal tar.
Asphalt-based seal coating products are better for air quality because they don't give off high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like the petroleum-based products do. They also smell better and are less of a skin irritant.
How often to reseal an asphalt driveway?
That partially depends on how harsh of climate you live in. Harsher climates, those with hot summers and cold winters, place more stress on that surface and sealing should be done every 2 years. Milder climates and that coating can be stretched to 3 years.