Getting something to stick to asphalt or asphalt coated materials is a unique problem. Asphalt driveways have their own specific crack sealers and roofing materials generally use what we call "Plastic Cement". (One exception to this is a specially formulated polyurethane adhesive that will work...
Most flat top roofs are made up of layers of asphalt, roofing paper, asphalt, roofing paper, asphalt, roofing paper, and then gravel. Although most leaks are caused by damaged or poor flashings, the built up membrane itself can get old and worn.The gravel serves to keep the UV rays of the sun aw...
Sealants, caulking and other confusing vocabularyThere are all kinds of "sealants" used in construction.What we normally call a "caulking" is properly called a sealant -- a thick material that cures to a flexible solid designed to "seal" the space between two materials -- particularly two materia...
Click here for the BP Class Action Suit relating to failing organic based asphalt shingles. Asphalt shingles should be able to take a lot of heat and cold, over and over again. So why do some suddenly curl up, asks Craig from Point-Claire, Quebec?Cold climate shinglesProbably the first thing to u...
2009 update: Safer's De-Moss, specifically made for removing moss, is still available but considered a controlled herbicide in many jurisdictions. If you cannot find it in stores, check GOOGLE.You can't mechanically remove this moss without bothering all the gravel, perhaps even the roof. You n...
The guys on this segment have developed a method of compacting patterns into both new and old asphalt for driveways and walkways that they call Street Print. They then cover it with a special durable coating. The final look is surprisingly close to interlocking brick, at a fraction the cost.The...
Kara lives in BC and has foam insulation over her roof with shingles over the foam. She wants to put on new shingles and questions having them right over the foam.You are right to question that application. The first problem is that shingling nails that have to go through an inch of foam will n...
In a previous TV show we watched the transformation of an old asphalt driveway into what appeared to be a cobble stone driveway with a process called "Street Print". Two years later we went back to see how it was holding up.The entire patterning system was holding up wonderfully. Those imprints ...
There are many products on the market designed to remove oil stains from driveways. Some of them actually work. The primary problem with them is that they basically dissolve the oil, much of it soaking even deeper into the concrete. That means you have to soak it up and attempt to not worsen ...
There are now a number of products on the market specifically designed for cleaning concrete, and when I tested them on the TV show, most of them appeared to work on asphalt stains. One of the keys is to brush in the cleaner, and then to use a high-pressure water power washer system to flush eve...
