With an application of sealcoat, that glossy black color will be restored to the surface of your pavement. A faded asphalt driveway or parking lot can decrease the curb appeal of those spaces. With a new sealcoat, your pavement will have a fresh appearance, and it might even boost your property value.
The Drawbacks of Seal Coating
There are some drawbacks to sealcoating, however. One is that it can be messy and difficult to apply evenly. It's also important to note that sealants will not repair significant damage to your driveway; they will only protect it from further damage.
He added that sealing a driveway could yield unwanted consequences: Oil from the bitumen (the black glue that holds the asphalt together) will be tracked into the home, or the sealant could wear away unevenly, making the surface look as if it's peeling.
Sealcoating not only extends the life of your asphalt pavement, but it's also an effective way to save money. Unprotected asphalt leads to cracks and potholes which will cost you more in repairs.
If your concrete has ugly charcoal-gray or black streaks or splotches, black algae is probably the culprit. Black algae can grow on many outdoor surfaces such as concrete or roof shingles and will thrive as long as there is moisture and sunlight.
On average, blacktop driveway installation costs between $7 and $13 per square foot for both materials and installation.
We recommend that you have your asphalt driveway resealed every 2-3 years at maximum. Waiting any longer could result in faster deterioration of your pavement. And doing it too often (i.e. annually) could result in chipping and flaking.
How long do I have to stay off the driveway after it is completed? Upon completion, we recommend to keep vehicles off for a minimum of 48 – 72 hours. You may walk on the driveway after 24 hours.
Ideally, you should sealcoat once every 2 or 3 years. Make it once every 2 years if your driveway gets a lot of traffic and is constantly exposed to chemicals, snow or oils.
Rain can wash away all of the hard work that you put into your driveway. The sealer will be washed away by the rain if you don't wait long enough for it to dry.
When sealcoating is used as part of a preventative maintenance program, it can extend the life of your driveway by up to 20 years on average.
While slathering seal coat over asphalt in a thick layer can be tempting, a “more is better” approach is detrimental to the pavement beneath. Too much sealer can lead to premature cracking, which will shorten the lifespan of your driveway.
Seal coating allows for a smoother, crack-free driveway, and because smoother pavements extend pavement life by as much as 10% to 25%, you won't have to worry about replacement or repairs for a much longer period of time.
Sealcoating is not designed to be an asphalt crack filler, it is made for sealing the surface and protecting it from the elements such as UV light, salts and oils. It is not flexible enough to fill a crack without re-cracking and it does not have adhesion quality's that Asphalt Crack Filler has.
When applied under ideal conditions, you can walk on a sealcoated pavement three hours after application. But if you want to drive on it, then you have to wait a minimum of 12 hours for it to dry and cure.
Sometimes sealcoating isn't the answer. Shallow cracks and constant patching may signal it's time to resurface your driveway. Driveway resurfacing is when you replace the top layer of asphalt with a fresh layer. Driveway resurfacing helps extend the life of your driveway for another eight to 15 years.
Once the asphalt cracks, water and/or car fluids can seep in and create pools of water underneath the surface. This will lead to more cracking and further damage. Sealcoating will protect against fading, and can even improve the appearance of your asphalt.
How many coats of sealer should be applied? Low Traffic such as a typical home driveway, 1 coat is sufficient. Moderate Traffic on a parking lot, 2 coats with a third coat on the entrance and exits. Heavy Traffic 2 coats with a third coat on all travel lanes and roadways.
The driveway sealer application phase is much faster, taking only a few hours per coat for a typical driveway. Most driveway sealer manufacturers recommend two coats with a minimum drying time of eight hours between coats, so this driveway sealing project will fill an entire weekend.
These two different processes are dictated by the difference in usage. Asphalt is mainly used for major highways and streets, whereas blacktop, a subset of asphalt, is used more for less trafficked areas like driveways, parking lots, and playgrounds.
Asphalt driveways are a combination of sand, rock, and asphalt cement. Typically, these driveways come in a basic black (like that used on most highways), but we've seen some models stamped with designs to make the driveway stand out.
The cost of a new driveway will depend on the groundwork and the material chosen. Generally, gravel is the cheapest material, with resin and concrete being the most expensive.