How to Repair an Asphalt Pothole | Ask This Old House

Ask This Old House landscaping contractor Roger Cook teaches a homeowner how to fill a pothole in an asphalt driveway to make it safe. (See below for a shopping list, tools, and steps.)
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Shopping List for How to Repair an Asphalt Pothole:
- 4 bags of paver base [amzn.to/3505hP1] (more or less depending on depth of hole)
- 2 bags of 50-lb commercial-grade blacktop repair [amzn.to/34TLgtb], used to seal hole

Tools for How to Repair an Asphalt Pothole:
Shovel [amzn.to/32WEu3V], used to dig out excess debris
Steel tamper [amzn.to/2O9LRkD], used to compact stone dust, aggregate, and blacktop repair
Wet saw [amzn.to/2OcSC58], used to cut asphalt
Hose [amzn.to/2QkO13D], used for water flow to wet saw

Steps for How to Repair an Asphalt Pothole:
1. Use a shovel to dig out the excess rock, dirt, and other debris until you reach subsoil.
2. Use paver base to fill in the hole, compacting it with the tamper every 2 to 4 inches until you’re within 2 inches of finished grade.
3. Cut the edges around the rough hole to make a cleaner surface, using a wet saw with a diamond blade.
4. Dig out any remaining excess of rock, dirt, and debris.
5. Use a high-performance blacktop repair, which is a mix of stone and asphalt binder to fill in the hole.
6. Put it down in 1.5-inch-thick layers and smooth it out.
7. Compact each layer until the patch meets the edges.
8. Let it sit 3 to 4 weeks before making any turns on it with a car.

About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.

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How to Repair an Asphalt Pothole | Ask This Old House
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