SERVICE
Crack & Joint Repairs
Cracks are how water gets in. Once it’s in, the damage stops being about the surface and starts being about everything underneath it.
THE SERVICE
Sealed before the water gets in.
Not after the pothole.
A crack in a road surface is not a cosmetic problem. Water runs into it, sits in the layers below, and then freezes and expands. That breaks the bond between layers and lifts the material around the crack, which is why one thin crack turns into a spread of broken surface and eventually a pothole. Sealing it early is the cheapest work you’ll ever do on a road, because it protects the construction you already paid for.
The type of cracking matters, because it says what’s actually wrong. Single cracks running along or across the surface are usually a joint or a shrinkage issue and are a straightforward seal. Cracks forming a linked pattern, often described as crocodile cracking, mean the layers underneath have failed under load, and sealing the surface will not fix that. Cracking along an edge usually means the edge is unsupported or water has got in from the side.
Sealing is done by opening the crack out to a consistent width, cleaning and drying it, then filling it with a hot applied rubberised sealant that stays flexible so it can move with the surface through the year rather than cracking again in the first cold snap. Joints between old and new surfacing are treated the same way, since a joint is a designed crack and behaves like one.
Where cracking is too far gone to seal, the honest answer is a patch or a section of resurfacing rather than a seal that will fail. Knowing which of the three a surface needs is most of the value in the survey.
DELIVERY STRUCTURE
How the work runs
- 01Survey the cracking and identify the type and likely cause.
- 02Rule out any area where the failure is structural rather than surface.
- 03Rout the crack out to a consistent width and clean it.
- 04Dry the crack and apply the sealant hot.
- 05Finish flush or with an overband, depending on the surface and its use.
What affects the programme
Dry conditions, because sealant will not bond into a wet crack. Cracks are easier and cheaper to deal with in numbers, so a whole site survey usually costs less per crack than repeat visits.
Where we work
We carry out crack sealing and joint repairs across Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife, including HAPAS joint repairs for West Lothian Council, footpath repairs at Gogarburn and car park work at Asda Chesser, Leven and Dalgety Bay. For retail and roadside clients we also cover sites across northern England.
QUESTIONS
Common questions.
Is crack sealing worth doing, or should the surface just be replaced?
If the cracking is confined to the surface, sealing costs a fraction of resurfacing and buys years. If the layers below have failed, sealing is money spent on a surface that’s already going.
How do you tell the difference?
By the pattern. Isolated straight cracks are usually surface or joint related. Linked, interconnected cracking under wheel tracks points to failure underneath.
Do cracks turn into potholes?
That is the usual route. Water enters the crack, freezes, breaks the bond between layers, and traffic then lifts the loosened material out.
When is the best time of year for crack sealing?
Dry conditions matter more than the season. Sealing before winter is worth prioritising, since freeze and thaw does most of the damage.
RELATED WORK
Repairs on site.
On the map
Our crack and joint repairs jobs.
View these 8 jobs as a list
Crack & Joint Repairs
M&S Penrith Car Park Works
Car park repairs
View projectCrack & Joint Repairs
Moto Barton Park
Car park repair works
View projectCrack & Joint Repairs
Moto Scotch Corner
Car park repair works
View projectCrack & Joint Repairs
Asda Spennymoor
Car park repair works
View projectCrack & Joint Repairs
RBS Gogarburn Footpaths
Resin footpath repair works on site
View projectCrack & Joint Repairs
B&Q Leven
Car park repairs
View projectCrack & Joint Repairs
KDM Potholes
Pot hole repair works
View projectCrack & Joint Repairs
West Lothian Council: Hapas Joint Repairs
Hapas joint repairs for West Lothian Council to extend the life of the road surface
View project