Hello,
Had our driveway re-paved last Summer. Live outside of Boston.
How "necessary", or good an idea, is it to have it "seal-coated" now ?
Do most folks have it done ?
If so, is the coating applied as an hot asphalt top coat, or just a room temperature coating ?
Are there different types ? What's typical ? What should I be asking for ?
Any caveats, etc. ?
Any thoughts would be most appreciated.
Thanks, Bob
Good idea. I'd be doing it about now. Coatings are emulsions and you can apply yourself. I had my driveway repaved 2 years ago and the following year the paver came back and offered to coat it and I let him as my back is getting old but in better times, I could have done better myself at half the price. Without coating, asphalt can be somewhat porous and freezing and thawing of wet asphalt can cause cracks and premature failure.
- gpsman
It definitely has aesthetic value as it makes the surface appearance nicer. It also helps with washing off stuff that winds up on it, like bird doo doo,.
I think it will help extend the life of the driveway, but how much is questionable. While they seal coat parking lots, they don't seal coat highways and roads.
All the ones I'm familiar with are applied cold. It's an easy DIY job is you want to save some $$ and make sure of what material you are applying.
For the most part, no. One of the roads I use going to work though, had the cracks sealed. Two guys had big funnel like contraptions and they walked along filling the bigger cracks. In freezing climates, it can make a difference by keeping the water out.
my asphalt driveway was lain in 1985 and is still in pretty good condition today. I seal every couple years....
It drfinetely seals the cracks so water cant get into the surface and tear it up espically in freezing weather....
the home next to where i grew up has over a 50 year old asphalt driveway. it still looks pretty good for its age. Tom Meehan is now over 80 and hasnt sealed it in years. 50 + years for asphalt is a long time...
they dont seal roads because it makes them slippery, i have to watch that here. one thing i do is use the anti skid sealer. a piece of my driveway is a hill.
house smiles when driveway gets sealed it looks so good:)
Around here, it's done with wands instead of a funnel. It's called a crack sealer. Vital to seal the cracks, that's the first place the road blows out. Not just for freezing/thawing conditions, water is the worst enemy for asphalt.
Entire coating of pavement isn't done on roadways, unless it's a chip & seal on low speed roads. Just sealing an entire road would turn it into a skating rink once it got wet. :)
PA used a process like Ed described and it always overfilled the cracks. So the road was really noisy and the patch didn't last.
A few weeks ago they were doing crack sealing with what appeared to be a new piece of equipment. The operator was using what appeared to be a heated wand and the job they did was level with the road surface and looked like it really sealed well.
Where I've seen the torch used, it was used to liquefy the sealer so it filled the crack better. "Hot" vs. "cold" patch.
i have used a wide push broom it helps spread easier and faster. i do mine to get it done, i am not trying to make a thing of beauty
Actually hot or cold patch refers to the flexible pavement (asphalt). Cold patch is for emergency patching, usually during the winter, hot patch is used for is the summer, plants won't make it in the winter.
We just got a new patching machine in, with a torch like you described, but the crack sealer is only for cracks.
Hi,
Could you please, when you get a spare minute, outline some of these for a typical homeowner:
"For the average homeowner, the same thing applies. Any kind of maintenance beats leaving it out in the weather untreated. And there are several different methods to do the job, each with its upside and downside."
Much thanks, Bob
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