You may also have to break out the power washer to remove dirt and grime that's not easily broom-swept. However, applying a seal coat will need to wait if your asphalt isn't fully dry, which can take some time depending on the pavement's thickness and weather conditions.
We recommend cleaning the surface first using a driveway cleaner, which also serves to cool off the surface. Make sure there is no puddled water on the driveway before sealing.
The pavement is fully dry.
Moisture can make it difficult for sealcoat material to adhere to the surface and prevent it from drying properly. Watch out for rain and postpone sealcoat application if it has rained over the past 24 hours or if there's a shower in the forecast.
It is important to let those chemicals cure and harden—you will want to wait a minimum of 90 days before sealcoating any asphalt driveway or parking lot. The longer you wait, the stronger the pavement will be. If possible, wait nine to twelve months.
What's the best temperature to seal a driveway? The ideal conditions for application are during the day when pavement and ambient temperatures are at least 50°F and rising, and no rain is forecasted for 24 hours. If these recommendations are not followed, the procedure will not yield desired results.
Clear and Prepare the Area
Wash any fertilizers and chalk from the asphalt. Sealer won't stick to a dirty driveway, so doing this is crucial. If you use sprinklers, turn them off a full day before the sealcoating process, and don't turn them back on again for a full day afterwards.
If you've recently installed a new driveway, wait at least 90 days to a year to ensure the sealant doesn't damage the asphalt. Sealcoating a new driveway too early may trap oils within the asphalt, resulting in a driveway that is too soft or flexible.
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.
Pavement sealers are best applied when the temperatures are a MINIMUM of 55 degrees and RISING and do not fall below 50 degrees for 48 hours after application. This allows ample cure time for the pavement coating.
You can apply sealer at any time of day as long as the pavement temperature does not fall past 40 degrees at night. You can even apply the sealcoat during the nighttime. Many people choose to start their sealcoat project around 10 AM as the sun's temperatures begin to rise, and the humidity is not too oppressive.
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.
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. Video: How often to seal a driveway? You need to also seal your driveway after every repair.
“Surfaces like asphalt can start to break apart because driving continuously will wear out its structure over time,” Jordan says. Sealing a driveway can mitigate these effects. The benefits include: Appearance: It's satisfying to return to a home that looks tidy and attractive.
Jetcoat 10-year
10 years, however, is a long, long time and it's how long you'll have in between coats if you get Jetcoat's 10-year sealant. This long-last sealant is designed to last, with a patented formula that'll cover your driveway for 10 years.
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.
Coverage rate:
Total of 2 coats – average coverage around 50 square feet per gallon (or 5 square yards).
APPLYING TOO MUCH SEALER OR THE WRONG KIND OF SEALER
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.
Penetrating concrete sealers will typically cover anywhere from 100 – 400 square feet per gallon. Two coats are usually recommended so this will cut the coverage amount in half to 50 – 200 square feet per gallon for 2 coats.
Watering down your driveway with a hose on hot days will temporarily harden the asphalt. This is helpful, but not mandatory. If soap suds should appear do not be alarmed, this is a reaction between the diesel fuel found in asphalt and a high chlorine content found in some city water.
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.
If you've just installed a new asphalt driveway, you may be wondering, “Will rain hurt it?” But in reality, the answer is no. Although you shouldn't expect rain to cause damage to your freshly laid asphalt, it is likely to speed up the drying process. You can expect to use your new driveway in a short time.
Among the two most common methods of applying driveway sealers, spraying is preferred for its consistency and uniformity. Brush application relies heavily on manual techniques, such as squeegeeing and hand painting to apply the sealer evenly.
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.
Before applying seal coating, the driveway needs to be cleaned and power washed. Any stains from oil, transmission fluid, or other substances must be cleaned away.