If you’re experiencing cracks, potholes, and brittleness in your pavement, driveway, or parking lot quite frequently, that explains why you need Asphalt seal coating.
The Changing weather and continuous traffic over the years have a significant effect on your pavement and driveway. Here I’ll elaborate to you on the tips, tricks, and benefits of Asphalt seal coating. And I will let you know how it will help you improve your home.
How to Apply Asphalt Driveway Seal Coating
Seal Coating is a protective and preventive measure for every homeowner or business person. You’ll see many seal coating crews around in September and October because these colder months are the ones when your driveway needs protection. Otherwise, it’ll turn hard and brittle. The warmer winds in the summer with scorching sunlight can also damage your pavement along with fading away from its new color.
With that said, how do you think an Asphalt seal coat is applied?
Primarily, you have to clean the surface with pressure washers. And then, clean all the cracks and potholes before filling them. Lastly, the sealant is applied to level up the surface.
Benefits of Sealing:
Here are a few points that’ll explain to you what happens when you coat the surface.
- The essential benefit of seal coating is that it protects your driveway and saves you a lot of extra money of repair and re-pavement.
- Other than that, Asphalt seal coating makes your parking lot and driveway long-lasting. So, you don’t have to worry about it for years.
- It changes the outer look of your home or your building. Being smooth, uniform, and shiny, makes it look attractive and aesthetic. And so the overall price quality of your area increases.
- The most premium benefit of Asphalt seal coating is it fills the cracks and potholes. And give your place a state-of-the-art look, which makes your home looks more new and expensive than it is.
- Lastly, it protects your driveway from chemical, water, wind, sunlight, and traffic damage.
Tips For Long-lasting Experience:
Asphalt sealers are easier to apply than any other product. They are even less volatile. So, you can use these sealers on your own, which means they’re saving you some more extra bucks. But, learn a few tricks before getting your hands on the products.
If you want your seal coat to last for a longer time. Then, follow these tips for a better impact.
- First of all, keep in mind that the seal coat won’t stick to a dirty surface with dust and debris. Therefore, clear the driveway first.
- You can use pressure washers for a thorough cleaning. Also, remember that Asphalt sealers are less resistant to chemical spills. And they won’t even stick on a patch having the chemicals. Therefore, clean those chemical spills with oil stain remover before coating the surface.
- Do not just assume that the seal coating will fill up the cracks and potholes. It just creates a barrier upon the actual surface to protect it from damage. So, first, you have to repair the prior damage.
- For cracks and potholes, use pothole fillers and rubberized crack sealers. Then, after you’re done with the preparation phase, apply the seal coat.
- Mix the sealer with sand to avoid your driveway from being slippery. Otherwise, you’ll find tire marks on your floor. Yikes, right? Also, it is not suitable for your safety as well.
- No two buckets of sealers are of the equally same color. So, it’s better to mix the two before applying the coats to have the same color.
- Carefully apply the sealant and do not stain the adjoining concrete surfaces.
- Lastly, you can use sprayers instead of squeegees if your driveway is vast.
How Much It Costs To Sealcoat Your Pavement?
The price of a seal coat can vary from average to expensive, depending upon your driveway’s quality and area. Generally, for a 480 square foot driveway, the sealant’s cost and the service can range from $80 to $115.
And for a more oversized parking lot, usually 1000 square feet, get ready to pay $170 to $240.
Average quality sealers cost $6 to $9 per gallon. And the price rises when it comes to high-quality sealers. It can be $25 for 300 square feet. Also, get ready to pay more for professional services. And the price is even more when there are obstacles in the sealing task. Such as applying the sealer with a squeegee over a larger surface and the walls, etc.
Is Asphalt Sealcoating Safe To Use?
Asphalt Seal Coating is much safer as compared to coal-tar sealers. Even many cities have outlawed coal-tar sealants, and you can’t buy them. It is because coal-tar is considered carcinogenic and can also poison your drinking water when it gets into it. Therefore, Asphalt is safe. And if you want something even safer, consider acrylic sealers.
How Often You Need To Seal Coat Your Driveway?
Keep this in mind; you don’t need to seal coat your driveway when it’s new. Initially, the first coat of the sealant is required after one year of the pavement. Then, you can take breaks in between and can coat your pavement, driveway, or parking lot after two to three years.
Moreover, you can apply the sealant every year if your driveway experiences heavy traffic.
Tips for Professional application of the sealant:
The tips mentioned above are the basic ones you need to know even when hiring Driveway sealing crews. But, if you’re explicitly performing the task yourself, you need to get into a little more depth. So, here are a few more tips for professional application.
- Applying the sealant by yourself, make sure you’re doing it coat-by-coat and not just apply a whole in one coat. It would be better if you apply multiple thin layers of sealant. For instance, a minimum of two coats will do the good.
- Check the weather forecast before preparing for the task, as the sealant will not adhere on wet and rainy days.
Allow vehicle traffic at least after 24 hours of the application.
