Use Urethane Polymer (FloMix) on a Slopping Driveway?

[Jay Chan]

I want to know if I can use urethane polymer (such as FloMix) to repair cracks in an asphalt driveway that is not on a level group.

I have many cracks at the bottom of an asphalt driveway where the driveway meets the roadway. I have tried using those crack filling material in a bottle or in a tube. None works well. I put them in early fall, and then I would see cracks re-developing in the following year. I need a better material to fix the cracks.

I see that there is a different product called urethane polymer that is supposed to last very long and is pourable. This is good. But when I watch the instruction video on that product in YouTube, I find that the product seems to be very watery -- like leveling compound. I am wondering how I can use it on a surface that is not very level -- like where my driveway meets the roadway -- I think there is a 20- degree slope on that part of the driveway. Is it going to flow away from my driveway into the roadway? According to the manufacturer FAQ, the material is too flowable and won't hold shape for building up a speed bump. But they didn't mention anything about not being able to be poured onto a ramp. I would like to know if other people may have used this product and what their experience are regarding applying it in a ramp.

Thanks in advance for any information.

Jay Chan

[C & E]

With no experience with this product, Jay, I'll give my 'expert' opinion! It's probably runny so that it can permeate to the bottom of the cracks rather than bridge them. As for application, I would us the traditional squeegee and quickly move small amounts around rather than the pour-and-pray method. You will probably get better economy from a bucket of the filler. Where did you manage to locate this stuff? It sounds like what I need.

Chuck

[Roaddoctor]

Jay, I am a USA manufacturers rep of the FloMix material. I work for the National Distributor, PTI Pavement Repair Products, found on the web at

You can use FloMix on a slope... look at the picture gallery and you will see several examples. The slump of the FloMix material can be controlled simply by how long you mix the B component. A longer mix will start you with a heavier slump which is less likely to run on you. You can also use Kraft Paper and Duct Tape to mask off the downhill side in case you get a small polymer run. Very simple to do. Look at image 63 at image 14 and 15 is the same material, just gray for concrete repair)

You can also build ramps with the material without much difficulty. We do a lot of work building small transition ramps for fork lift traffic entering and exiting warehouses... It works great and does last a very long time as you mentioned.

If you have any questions I can be reached thru our Contact us page

Best regards,

Dave J

[Jay Chan]

Thanks for the tip of increasing the mixing time to make the product less "thin". Great!

I plan to do these:

1. I can start with standard mixing time to get the product in a thin flowable state to take care of some cracks in the level area of my driveway and also pour it deep into the cracks in the slopping area of the driveway where the driveway meets the roadway

1. And then I can mix some more to get the product into a less flowable stage to overlay on top of all the cracks in the slopping area of the driveway where the driveway meets the roadway.

This should work, right?

I guess the tricky part is to finish applying the thickened product fast enough before the product starts setting up. Seem like I need to mobilize all the family members to work on this together.

One more question: How soon can I apply a coat of black top sealer over the areas patched with FloMix? I am hoping that I can do everything in one day.

Thanks in advance for any following up reply.

Jay Chan

[Roaddoctor]

Yep - your plan is as it should be. Do not worry about the nominal loss of working time when mixing slightly longer. You will still have plenty of time to manipulate as needed and then apply the topping sand... especially if you have a helper.

You can apply a black top sealer 1 to 2 hours after installing the Flomix. Its not nescessary or required (as FloMix is impermeable) but is often done to cosmetically unify the driveway surface. Once seal coated it will be hard to tell where repairs were made.

If you have any questions I can be reached thru our Contact Us page

Best regards,

Dave J

[hallerb]

Looks like a spammer asked a question to advertise their product:(

Theres little one can do thats permanent

The driveway moves in one direction the street in another, and havy trucks just make it worse.

I have the same issues here, and if you watch streets over many years they tend to crack in the same places over and over. moving issues with base, water infiltration under surface etc etc

the OP is probably better off you use a concrete diamond blade saw to cut a wide deep opening between driveway and street, then pour in permanetely flexible crack filler, then fix asll cracks and seal driveway.

ME? after tiring of the mess I seal my driveway every year or two, a couple times just the front 8 feet and dont worry about it......

[Jay Chan]

No, I am not a spammer or a troll. I have a problem that I need a solution.

Please tell me the "permanetely flexible crack filler" that you have suggested. Do you have any specific product that you can recommend? I am interested.

Jay Chan

[salty]

Jay Chan has been a regular participant in this group for many years. I think you probably owe him an apology.

[hallerb]

I apologize, what bugs me are the spammers, the most creative get a name similiar to a existing member, ask the question then answer and advertise their product.

the best results for me have bbeen crack filler in caulking gun tubes.

the key is spewrating the driveway from the street and filling the entire slot with whats essentially black flexible caulking.

did

[hallerb]

seperate driveway from street. sorry for my typo, i was interrupted during posting

[DerbyDad03]

re: the most creative get a name similiar to a existing member...

At first I had the same thought as you, but as a check, I clicked on the name to see what other posts the user had made. That made me comfortable that the post and answer were legit.

In addition, after reading the post and reply, I contacted the company to see if their product would work for my garage floor. I spoke to a guy named Dave - could have been the responder, I didn't ask - who was not only very helpful, but also informed me that his product would not fit my needs.

I seriously dislike salesmen, so it nice to run into someone who steers you in a different direction when what they sell won't work for you.

[Jay Chan]

No need for an apology. I understand that in an online environment (not face to face), many misunderstanding can easily happen. This is pretty much a part of the deal.

I also understand that spammer can post a question using an alternative identity and then answer it back. This trick is very old. I used to hear a story about a newspaper columnist had two columns under two different names in two newspapers, and then using those two columns to attack each other just to draw people attention and increase readership.

I will go to local home center to look for permanent flexible caulking material. I am not hopeful because I had looked for it several years ago in the last time when I tried to repair the driveway. But I will try looking for it one more time anyway.

Jay Chan

[hallerb]

how about melted tar, after first cutting the two surfaces clear of one another?

[Edge]

This is the first time I have heard of a product like Flomix. From the pictures of the product from their website, it appears to be a dry mix that you add water to and then apply. The product is described as a urethane polymer? When I go to a store like Menards, they have 1 year,

2 year - up to 8 year driveway sealers. Each touts that it has 1x, 2x

- up to 8x the polymers. Each also costs progressively a lot more. Is the polymer in these sealers also urethane polymers like Flomix? Since Floxmix is pretty expensive and maybe hard to get, how well does a 8 year sealer work compared to Flomix?

[Jay Chan]

I guess melted tar is a logical alternative because I believe my asphalt driveway is mainly made from tar anyway. How does it compare to those cold cured black sticky "asphalt patch" that they are being sold in Home Depot in term of durability? Honestly I am not looking forward of melting tar because of the smell and the thought of cleaning tar coated pots and tools.

Jay Chan

[Jay Chan]

ets the roadway. =A0I have tried using those crack filling

Thanks for everyone who have replied. I end up didn't use urethane polymer because it is quite costly (and I had too many cracks) and it seems like too runny to be applied on slope where the driveway meets the road where most of the cracks are. I used regular driveway patch (a kind of paste) to patch the cracks and then used regular sealer to blend in everything. The driveway "looks" very nice now.

I will see how the patches work by next spring to see how well they will do in the cold winter. If the cracks open up again, I will use urethane polymer. I am pretty sure some cracks will open up. I am just betting that the cracks will be small and far between. Then the runny property of urethane polymer will become very useful for filling up the small cracks. Hopefully, this will prevent the small cracks from getting big.

Thanks again for people who have offered their advices.

Jay Chan

Jay Chan

[EXT]

If the pieces of asphalt are moving because of unstable material under them, or because the traffic is heavier than normal, the cracks will reappear no matter what you use to fill them. Once you have filled them with one type of material that doesn't work, using another type in the crack in addition to the failed material will not make it work.

Thanks for everyone who have replied. I end up didn't use urethane polymer because it is quite costly (and I had too many cracks) and it seems like too runny to be applied on slope where the driveway meets the road where most of the cracks are. I used regular driveway patch (a kind of paste) to patch the cracks and then used regular sealer to blend in everything. The driveway "looks" very nice now.

I will see how the patches work by next spring to see how well they will do in the cold winter. If the cracks open up again, I will use urethane polymer. I am pretty sure some cracks will open up. I am just betting that the cracks will be small and far between. Then the runny property of urethane polymer will become very useful for filling up the small cracks. Hopefully, this will prevent the small cracks from getting big.

Thanks again for people who have offered their advices.

Jay Chan

Jay Chan