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Friday, August 10, 2012

Home Improvements

I dropped 500 pounds of Cold Patch on the telescope garage apron, and used my wife's TrailBlazer to harden it.  It still isn't quite to the level of asphalt, but it has only had a couple of hours for the hydrocarbons to evaporate out.



Here's a more detailed picture showing the Cold Patch surface on top of the reground asphalt:


Most of the problem with the reground asphalt was particular sections near the door where there was more gravel and less asphalt.  This seems to have solved the problem.

UPDATE: I did some more rolling of it with the TrailBlazer this morning.  It was warm enough to smell the volatile hydrocarbons coming off of it.  This is a good sign; it means that it will get harder because of these hot days.  

I'm still planning to asphalt seal it next Saturday morning.  The instructions are emphatic that there should be no rain forecast for the following 24 hours, the night temperatures should be above 55 degrees, and you should not apply it if the air temperature is above 85 degrees.  That leaves a narrow window of opportunity over the next few weeks, before weather starts to get better.

4 comments:

  1. I'm confused: "...Cold Patch on the telescope garage apron..."

    Do you have a garage just for your telescopes, or are you referring to the apron of the garage in which, in addition to vehicles, you also store your telescopes between uses?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Check out GreenPatch.com a pemanent zero VOC cold patch.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What will happen, do you think, when snow comes this winter and you need to call in a plow?

    Will that lip last or will it become the fulcrum from which the plow removes the patch?

    Perhaps the plow should be dragged backwards from the garage door to a point well south of the lip?

    How to mark that point so the plow driver knows?

    Wouldn't like to see all your hard work disappear or be damaged and you certainly don't want to have to replace it each spring.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, I have a garage primarily for telescopes. (Whatever car isn't in use during the season goes in there, too.)

    The only snow plow will be the one we install on my wife's TrailBlazer. The patch has, in spite of the picture, no lip to catch.

    ReplyDelete