CRACK STIX Blacktop Crack Repair, 1/2 D, 125ft., Black

Used up one can of MAPP gas and one of regular propane over the course of melting out this whole bucket. Didn't see too much of a difference between the two gasses. One thing that made this project possible was a torch with a 360° rotating nozzle, so you can keep the canister upright as you burn downward. Seems like a very professional crack repair that should last a long time. Fairly easy to use, you can break off lengths with your hands (maybe only when it's cold out, idk). My technique was, clean out the crack with an angle grinder with an old used-up diamond wheel. Stuff the crack with pieces of CrackStix. Melt it down. For cracks too small to stuff, you can hold a piece of the CrackStix rope and melt it, dripping into the crack. This is also a good technique when you can't stuff as much rope into the crack as you need to fill it. My driveway is on a pretty good slope, which amde it tricky - the melted product will roll a good ways downhill if you melt too much at once.

It was used to repair cracks on an asphalt driveway. I first cleaned the cracks by spraying water, and remove plants or debris. I waited for things to dry, and then packed the deeper cracks with sand. Waiting overnight is good as some of the sand slipped deeper later, so I repacked with more sand later. I used a Butane torch to melt the filler. Different methods can be used; (a) drip melted filler from above, (b) melt filler placed in the crack, (c) melt one end of the filler while slowly dragging the other end across the crack, etc. Ideally, you want a thick, smooth fill to cover/overlap the crack so water can no longer get in. Also note not to burnt or scorched the asphalt while melting the filler. I waved the torch up and down the filler so as not to overburn the surrounding asphalt. The finished stripe looks darker against the asphalt at first, but within weeks, will fade to be nearly the same color. After a week or so, one part of the filler on a crack came off - that is the spot where I normally turn the tires for parking, so there is more stress there. I melted more filler there to make it thicker, and make sure it is as smooth as possible. So far, it is holding up. The filler was also used to successfully fill up the gap between the asphalt and the concrete slope of the garage, and the crack between the driveway and the hump before where the main road starts.

I just finished ordering my third bucket. This product is easy to apply and makes for a gratifying project with immediate results. Another plus is that it is a clean process; never any mess on my hands or clothes. I found myself going out in the evening and filling a crack because I wanted to. I use a variable output blow torch with an auto igniter from Harbor freight ($30) which hooks to a 20# propane cylinder with a hose. This allows me to heat the rope and "Walk" it into the crack from a standing position; never any knee work. It takes a lot of BTUs to melt the rope and heat the surrounding asphalt. Couldn't even imagine doing the job with an homeowner's propane torch. No comments on how long it might last but the immediate enjoyment of my asphalt is worth the price. The only reason I gave this product 4 stars is because a third of my second bucket was not of even diameter. The rope would constrict to 1/4" then swell to 5/8". It looked like a snake that swallowed some whole pigs. It worked but took twice as long to apply. I feel like their quality control should have caught the problem.

I have a large concrete slab in front of my shop, 66x40, and a asphalt driveway that connects to one end of it. There was a 1/4" to 1/2" gap between them, I cleaned it out with a wire brush and shop vac, layed down the 1/4" crack stix and got the mapp gas torch out and started melting away, well I ran out of gas and resorted to the giant weed burner and propane tank. Start with the weed burner! It heats up the entire area and melts it much better, the mapp gas gets super hot before the stix gets soft inside and it starts burning, gets super runny and disappears in the cracks. The weed burner melts it nicely and its doesnt turn to liquid. This stuff is money!

I have purchased and tried just about every brand and type of asphalt crack repair. This so far has been the best out of them all. I use my gas powered leaf lower to clean out the cracks before applying. I have mostly smaller cracks so have found that using a handheld propane torch works best for my needs. I hold this is one hand over the crack and use my other hand to heat it up until it starts to drip. Then it drips deeper into the crack and fills it up. I let that cool, around 30 minutes then come back and add more because it sinks in as it dries. This time I melt it and add a bit more, then take a steel putty knife to make it level and spread it out so the sides are not raised. After this is dry, I then put a coat of driveway sealer over it. This gets me about a good year before the cracks come back. Nothing else I have used has lasted any longer. Many of the smaller cracks do not come back. Tip: Wear gloves when doing it this way, it gets hot.

I have quite a few larger cracks since the cracks in the driveway have never been attended to and the driveway is at least 12 years old. I find that this is easy to unroll and cut, easy to lay into the cracks and to melt using the blow torch. Easy peasy! BUT, time consuming AND hard on the back. It's not something I could do everyday. I've been working on the driveway once a week throughout the summer. It's been a good pace for me, first time homeowner and repair person. I watched several YouTube videos about how to use it before my first time.