A driveway resealing project isn’t as big a home improvement project as kitchen remodeling. However, it is good to have as much information as you can have about any home improvement project. This is the reason, we are using this blog post to answer some of the most common questions asked by homeowners when it comes to asphalt driveway seal coating. Here is everything you want to know about resealing your asphalt driveway.
There is no doubt that asphalt is one of the best choices for a driveway due to its excellent adhesive and waterproofing capabilities. However, time takes its toll on asphalt. Several compounds such as salt, water and others are capable of breaking down asphalt at molecular level.
Once the asphalt driveway starts deteriorating, you are left with a pavement that gradually keeps losing its waterproofing and binding abilities. If there is a stretch of highway that has become grey in color, it is nothing but deteriorated asphalt.
Asphalt is a petroleum product as it produced through petroleum distillation which means exposure to various petroleum-based materials makes it susceptible to deterioration. With regular gas and oil leaks onto the asphalt driveway, the asphalt driveway starts breaking down when it comes in contact with petroleum-based materials.
Materials That Can Be Used for Sealing a Driveway
A wide range of materials is available for sealing driveways ranging from asphalt emulsion to coal tar emulsion to acrylic.
How Does It Work?
Sealing an asphalt driveway can go a long way in preventing any problems. In short, preventative maintenance is the right way to protect your driveway against any deterioration. Here is how it works.
1. The first step is clearing the driveway. The sealing team will do this by trimming any overhanging grass. They will also get rid of any dust, debris or dirt and make sure that the pavement is clean. Clean surface is a prerequisite of successful seal coating.
2. If there are oil marks on the asphalt driveway, heat is applied to those spots to get rid of any surface solvents. On these parts, our team applies one coat of oil spot primer. This primer ensures that a strong bond is formed between these areas and the driveway sealant to be applied.
3. If the team finds cracks bigger than 3/8 of an inch in the driveway, these cracks will first be cleared of dirt and debris. Then, a hot tar crack sealant is used to fill these cracks which is followed by one coat of Black Beauty sand. It helps in promoting bonding of the surface to the sealant.
4. If there are chicken wire cracks, these are covered with the help of hot rubberized crack sealant. Existing potholes can also be repaired by our team at your request.
5. Seal coating is applied by the team with the help of a brush. The sealant used is a blend of polymer pavement sealer and rubberized polymer epoxy latex. This combination gives the seal coating material additional flexibility and is responsible for its deep black color on drying. Sand and silica is also included in the sealant to add traction and durability.
6. The surface needs to be left alone for 48 hours after application of seal coating. Once it is dry, you need to treat it gently. If you start taking sharp turns immediately after the seal coating process, it can mark the surface. Therefore, it is important that you turn the wheels of your car only when it is in motion.
Asphalt Driveway Seal Coating – Durability
Many people want to know how long the seal coating lasts and the typical answer is: 2 years. 2 years is the industry standard as the sealant wears away naturally in around 2 years which means a new coat needs to be applied then. However, life of the sealant is affected by a number of factors such as amount of traffic on the driveway as well as exposure to oil and sun.
We have arrived at many situations where homeowners chose to have their driveways resealed only after many years and even decades which means the driveway had turned into a stretch of faded grey asphalt. On the other hand, we have also dealt with people who are a little too careful and keep applying a coat of sealant every single year. It eventually leads to flaking and cracking due to buildup of sealant.
Ideal Sealcoating can be of great help in case it has been a few years since your last asphalt driveway seal coating or there are visible signs of wear and tear on your driveway.
Give us a call now to know more about our asphalt driveway sealcoating services.
