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What is asphalt?

Asphalt is a paving mixture of stone, sand, gravel and asphalt cement. For repairs, Anne Arundel County describes overlays of 1½–2 inches, with traffic and existing pavement condition considered. Ask whether your driveway bid covers an overlay or removal and repairs to the supporting base.

InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.

By InstaBids editorial team with AI research agents. Updated

What this means for your home project

  1. Photograph cracks and any potholes in the driveway so the repair request identifies the damaged areas. Source: Anne Arundel County, read 2026-11-06.
  2. Request a written overlay scope that states the proposed thickness and accounts for traffic and existing pavement condition. Source: Anne Arundel County, read 2026-11-06.
  3. Ask the written bid to identify additional base-preparation work if removal exposes moisture, utilities or a missing base. Source: Anne Arundel County, read 2026-11-06.
  4. Ask which sealcoat product is proposed: coal-tar-based or asphalt-based. Source: U.S. Geological Survey, read 2026-11-06.
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What asphalt job do you need done in your home? Describe it once to start your written scope.

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What are asphalt millings?

Asphalt millings are the small pieces produced when old pavement is ground away. Anne Arundel County explains that millings are "recycled at the asphalt plant" and incorporated into future asphalt mix. The county also ties milling depth to the thickness of the replacement asphalt. (Read 2026-11-06.) (source)

“Utilizing a milling machine, deteriorated asphalt is removed by grinding it into small bits.” (source) “Millings are then recycled at the asphalt plant and incorporated into future asphalt mix supply.” (source) “Milling depth is determined by the thickness of new asphalt to be applied.” (source)

What is asphalt sealcoating?

Asphalt sealcoating applies a liquid coating over existing pavement. USGS calls sealcoat a "black liquid that is sprayed or painted on asphalt pavement" and identifies both coal-tar-based and asphalt-based products. That coating is distinct from the new asphalt layer used in an overlay. (Read 2026-11-06.) (source)

“Sealcoat is a black liquid that is sprayed or painted on asphalt pavement in an effort to protect and beautify the asphalt.” (source) “Most sealcoat products are coal-tar or asphalt based.” (source) “A standard asphalt patch consists of a new layer of asphalt applied over the existing asphalt surface.” Source: Anne Arundel County, read 2026-11-06. “Asphalt is a mix of stone, sand, gravel and asphalt cement.” Source: Virginia Department of Transportation, read 2026-11-06.

How thick should an asphalt patch be?

Asphalt patch thickness depends on the repair being specified. Anne Arundel County describes an overlay of "1 ½ to 2 inches", while also considering traffic and existing pavement condition. That figure describes the county’s overlay guidance; it is not a specification for every new residential driveway. (Read 2026-11-06.) (source)

“The thickness of an overlay should range 1 ½ to 2 inches, but type and amount of traffic as well as existing pavement condition are also considered.” (source)

What does asphalt driveway resurfacing involve?

Asphalt resurfacing can include milling before a new layer is laid. Anne Arundel County describes milling as planing pavement "to an appropriate depth" before covering it. Its repair guidance also distinguishes surface work from complete removal when pavement or the supporting ground has severely deteriorated. (Read 2026-11-06.) (source)

“Milling is a process by which a machine is used to plane the pavement surface to an appropriate depth before it is covered with the new layer.” (source) “Severely degraded asphalt or subgrade deficiencies may require complete removal of part or all of the pavement and base material.” (source)

What affects asphalt driveway cost?

Asphalt driveway repair scope can expand when removal exposes problems underneath. Anne Arundel County identifies "excess moisture, shallow utility lines, missing aggregate base, or incorrectly prepared subgrade" as conditions requiring additional base preparation. These conditions can add base preparation beyond the surface repair; the list describes work-scope factors rather than a price estimate. (Read 2026-11-06.) (source)

“After excavation and removal, pre-existing conditions in the subgrade such as excess moisture, shallow utility lines, missing aggregate base, or incorrectly prepared subgrade may require additional steps in the base preparation.” (source) “These conditions are usually not discovered until the overlying asphalt is removed.” (source)

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