Pothole Repairs Launceston
Potholes form when water gets under the asphalt, freezes, expands, and breaks the surface bond. Once a small crack opens up, traffic loads do the rest of the damage in a couple of months.
We patch them properly, cut a clean square edge with a saw, remove all loose material, prime the cavity with tack coat, fill with hot mix, compact, and seal the edges. A patch done this way lasts 10+ years.
Patches done badly, cold-mix shoveled into a wet hole, no edge cut, no tack coat, fail within 6 months. That's why councils stopped doing them that way.
Why it matters
- Council and main-road potholes can be a liability, fix fast before someone claims
- Carpark and driveway potholes cost more to fix the longer you leave them
- Proper hot-mix patches blend in visually, cold-mix patches always look wrong
- Quick turnaround, most patches we book within 1 week of the call
THE PROCESS
How we do it
Inspect + quote on site
We come and look, measure the affected area, give a fixed price. Free.
Saw-cut square edges
Use a concrete saw to define clean rectangular edges around the damage.
Remove damaged material
Excavate the loose and damaged asphalt out to a clean base.
Tack coat
Apply emulsion to bond the new patch to the existing edges.
Hot-mix fill + compact
Fill with fresh hot mix, screed level with surrounding surface, compact with vibratory plate or roller.
Seal edges
Apply edge sealant to prevent water entry at the patch perimeter.
COMPARISON
How it stacks up
Patching a pothole isn't one-size-fits-all. Here's when each method makes sense.
| Feature | Cold-mix patch | Hot-mix patch | Full mill-and-fill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per pothole | Lowest | Mid | Highest |
| Typical lifespan | 3-6 months | 5-10 years | 15-20 years |
| Weather window | Any conditions | Dry, above 5°C | Dry, above 5°C |
| Time on site | Under 15 min | 30-60 min | Half day or more |
| When to use | Emergency / temporary | Standard repair | When the whole section has failed |
| Bond to existing | Weak, sits on top | Hot-fuses to edges | Replaces the failed area entirely |
AFTERCARE
After your patch is done
A hot-mix patch from us is built to last 5-10 years, but the surrounding road or carpark moves on its own timeline. A few things to watch.
First 24 hours
Avoid heavy braking or sharp turning directly on the patch. Edge sealant cures within an hour but the body of the mix takes a day to fully harden.
First 3 months
Walk past the patch occasionally. If you see edge cracking forming early, call us — it's almost always a bond issue and we'll come back and fix it.
Annual once-over
Once a year, hose down the patch and surrounding area. If you spot fresh cracks at the joint, a quick crack-seal stops water getting in and undermining the base.
Why patches fail early
Patches fail when the sub-base under them is wet or moves. If a patch fails inside 12 months, the issue is the base, not the asphalt. We'll come back and dig deeper if that's the case.
PRICING
What it costs in Launceston (2026)
- $Small patch (under 0.5m²): $250–$450 per patch
- $Medium patch (0.5–2m²): $400–$900 per patch
- $Multiple-patch days: discounted per-patch rate, typically $300–$600 each
- $Travel surcharge for remote rural sites or outside Launceston metro
- $Call-out fee for jobs under $300 total
Site-specific factors change every quote. Get the price in writing before you sign anything.
FAQ
Pothole Repairs, common questions
Can you do an emergency pothole repair?+
We try to fit emergencies in within 24–48 hours. Council-priority work (school zones, busy intersections) we'll bump to the front of the queue. Call us on the phone, emergency work is easier to coordinate verbally.
Why do potholes keep coming back in the same spot?+
Usually means the underlying issue isn't fixed, water entry, sub-base failure, or drainage problem. We'll diagnose during the repair quote and fix the root cause, not just the symptom.
How long does a pothole repair last?+
Properly done hot-mix patch with edge sealing: 10+ years. Cold-mix patches: 6–18 months. We don't do cold-mix work because the failure rate is too high.
Can you fix gravel road potholes?+
No, gravel road maintenance is a different trade. We do asphalt and sealed-surface repair only.
Will the patch look like a patch?+
It'll be visible because the new asphalt is darker than weathered old asphalt. Within 6–12 months of sun exposure the new patch ages to roughly match. A full re-seal coat over the area can hide the visual transition.
READY TO START?
Get a free quote
We come out, have a look, give you a real number in writing within 48 hours. No mucking around, no obligation.