Got potholes in your driveway? Follow these 7 easy steps to fix a pothole with cold lay Macadam.

Tools you will need

Gloves

Shovel

Rake (optional)

Tamper/earth rammer

Cold lay Macadam

Macadam cold lay joint sealer

Bag of dry sand (as dry as possible)

Brush/ dust pan & brush

Step One

Using your shovel, make vertical sides around the edge of the pot hole.

The vertical edge only needs to be as deep as the pot hole.

Then remove any excess debris with your shovel or dustpan & brush

Step Two

Holding your Tamper/Earth rammer in both hands, tamper down the base of the pothole until completely flat and no sign of loose or dislodged stones.

Step Three

Now shake your can of Macadam cold lay joint sealer for 30 seconds

Once shaken, apply the spray to the edge and vertical sides of the pothole. Make at least 2 passes of the spray.

Then spray the base of the pothole too.

Step Four

Open up the bag of cold lay macadam.

Using your shovel break it up into manageable chunks.

In the cold months of the year it can be a little difficult to break up, you can use a blow torch on the macadam to warm it up to make it more manageable.

Then shovel the mixture into the pothole.

Step Five

Tamper down the cold lay macadam until the repair is fully compacted.

Add more macadam if needed to get the repair the same level as the driveway/road surface.

Step Six

Again shake the can of Macadam cold lay joint sealer for 30 seconds

Then apply the spray to the edges of the repaired area (at least 2 passes) and then spray the top surface area of the repair too.

Step Seven

If you can, leave the repair for a good 30 minutes, then dust with dry sand.

This will stop the repair from sticking to any tires or shoes etc.

Stand back and admire your repair 😉

Things To Keep In Mind

Always wear gloves, The cold lay macadam can be an absolute git to remove from your skin.

If the pot hole is deep, fill in 25mm layers and tamper each layer as you go. This will ensure that the repair doesn’t sink over time

You may find it easier to empty the cold lay macadam into a wheelbarrow, this will make breaking it up easier and also easy to transport up and down your working area.

Always use the Macadam cold lay joint sealer before and after the repair, it helps the repair adhere to the substrate and also stops water penetration from the weather etc.

Don’t buy a cheap Tamper/earth rammer, cheap tampers have a tendency to crack or snap at the base where the handle and base meet. I purchased a Silverline forged tamper from Amazon and has served me well. The misses even uses it to compact the the rubbish down in the wheelie bin 😉

Did This Post Help?

Hopefully this post has gave you the confidence to fix a pothole with cold lay macadam?

If it did, let me know how you got in the comments section below

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