Yes, it is a necessity as you need to protect your valuable asset. If you want your driveway to last, sealcoating is the way to go. Unprotected asphalt leads to cracks and potholes that can severely damage your foundation.
Not sealing it will only make it more susceptible to damage from the elements and other things. Sealcoating can effectively protect your driveway from rain, hail, snow or oil. It will give you a water-resistant surface, protecting you from the elements. Your driveway is also protected from the sun's damaging UV rays.
The Drawbacks of Seal Coating
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. If your driveway is damaged, you'll need to have it repaired before sealcoating it.
Not sealing your driveway leads to bitumen loss which leads to water penetrating down to the base causing it to fail which in turn causes potholes and cracks. Once the cracking and pothole cycle begins it's very difficult or impossible to stop.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Rain and Sealcoating
Sealcoating application and drying do not pair well with rainy or even misty conditions. Rain prevents the coating from drying. Depending on how heavily the rain falls, it could also wash away the sealcoating from the surface before it has had enough time to dry.
Simply put, if water can enter the gaps between your house and concrete, it can cause problems down the line. Caulking these gaps is a proactive way to prevent not only water damage and future concrete settling, but can also help keep pests to a minimum.
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.
Experts recommend that you wait at least three months – weather permitting. It is not unusual to wait up to six to nine months before sealing your asphalt parking lot, especially if you installed it in the fall. A warm summer day, towards the evening, is the best weather to apply a seal coat.
As with any major roadway, asphalt is best sealed in driveways. The chances of oil damage and the hot sun take their toll in time, and a good sealant every three years or so can be a huge asset after pressure washing.
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.
Industry standards recommend that you wait one year or go through one winter before you seal coat a new driveway. How often should I seal coat my driveway? Industry standards recommend every two years; allowing the sealer to wear away before you reseal the driveway.
The first coat of the first time the asphalt is sealed – a squeegee is very effective in getting sealer in all the nooks and crannies of unsealed asphalt – after that coat, sealer ought to be spray applied for maximum coverage and thickness.
Oil-based sealer is petroleum based mixture of asphaltic chemicals. One main problem with oil-based sealer is that you cannot add sand to the mixture for traction which can leave your driveway very slick/slippery.
Make sure there's no forecast for rain for at least three days. You want the driveway to remain dry for at least one day before and one day after applying each layer of sealant. Opt for late spring, summer, or early fall to do this project.
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 amount of high traffic actually kneeds the asphalt like a massage, thus keeping the oils alive in the asphalt. I hope that could help answer your question.