My neighbor just had a new asphalt driveway laid and a sealcoat contractor told him he 'needs to' sealcoat the driveway 'now' to protect it. I can't find out if that is really true or not, using Google. Anyone know?
Thanks
Duke
=BF=BDusing
you have to wait a specific time, neighbor should ask installing contractor.
seal too soon and asphalt will never set up harden properly....
divots when parked on:(
What did you expext from a driveway sealing salesman
I waited 25 years to do mine. I may do it again this year as there are some tiny cracks in a few spots.
A reputable contractor just did my drive this week and recommended a similar strategy. He said to wait a few months though, but to do it before winter. Looking at the surface, I can see the logic as sealing will keep water from going into the microcracks and freezing over the winter.
The problem is that he recommends waiting 5 or 6 months before sealing. To do a proper sealing job, the manufacturers state that temps must stay above 50F for
24 hours. That's not going to work with the calendar.Moreover, there are two major types of sealing. Liquid asphalt actually penetrates the material and seals internally. The other types are easier to apply but lay on top of the surface and can eventually flake off.
I forgot to add that I thought he could be biased. Of course.
Duke
As far as I know, he has opted for water-based over oil-based because it is cheaper.
Duke
on 7/10/2009 7:27 AM (ET) snipped-for-privacy@eldorado.com wrote the following:
When I last had my driveway replaced in 2000, the asphalt guy said to wait a year before sealing it. He didn't say what year to wait for, so I haven't had it sealed yet. :-)
I can't recall ever seeing them seal the asphalt on city streets or highways, have you?
For my .02, sealing just enhances the appearance, I don't really believe it adds much to the life of the pavement.
Jeff
=EF=BF=BDusing
=EF=BF=BD:-)
sealing seals cracks which prevents water from getting in and doing damage in freezing weather.
my asphalt driveway is near 25 years old and still in pretty good shape, it gets sealed every other year on average
I worked for the highway department for 2 summers in college. One was spent laying asphalt and the other we seal coated highways all summer long. We were definitely not seal coating roads that had new asphalt, they were at least 5 years old, probably more. And these were highways with lots more traffic than any driveway would ever get. If it was my driveway, I would wait until the asphalt needed a little help and then seal coat to make it last a little longer without spending the extra money on a new asphalt job. The seal coat job that we were doing is where we would spray down a layer of asphalt, spread gravel over the top, roll it with a pneumatic roller and then run a sweeper to remove the excess aggregate. Did I mention that this was in the north Texas area with lots and lots of days over 100 for both of those summers. It was a good experience that I never ever want to do again. Matthew
They sealed my street in Seattle. Oil, then gravel. They swept up the loose gravel a few weeks later.
yes, where I grew up (western PA) they would "tar and chip" most main roads about once a year. Was a PITA to drive on for about a week or so, and cleaning up the car afterwards was a pain as well.
Generally you'd wait until the chips had worked down into the asphalt before you'd give your car a good waxing, because the only way to get it clean was to wash, then wipe down with Diesel fuel, then wash again...
nate
I guess you don't have an asphalt driveway.
About 10 years ago on a county road near where I live, they used what's called a 'Hot In Place Asphalt Recycler". A large road machine that scraped up a layer of asphalt at the front, heated it internally, then put it back down on the road behind the machine. I though it was pretty cool, but within a year that recycled layer came unglued in spots so there was largish areas that were like 2" deep potholes. They had to repave the road in the conventional manner.
That's not the same as the "seal coating" that the OP is talking about. I believe what you are talking about is called "chip coating" in this neck of the woods. It is used to *extend* the life of deteriorating asphalt roads rather than repaving since it is much cheaper. Basically, as you say, they spray down some some low grade oil/tar (not asphalt since asphalt by definition already includes the aggregate) then spread gravel then either roll it in or if the town is really cheap they wait for traffic to roll it in.
I personally hate *chip coating* since it leave the pavement very bumpy (since the gravel doesn't get completely buried in the underlying asphalt)which messes up inline skating for me. But it is the cheap man's solution to repaving...
What the OP is talking about with seal-coating is typically a latex-based superficial coat, more like a thick paint that is laid down on top of an ashpalt driveway (although someone mentioned there are also oil-based versions). There is no aggregate in the seal-coat.
I have heard alternative opinions about the benefits of seal-coating:
One side says it is really just superficial and is like painting your driveway black -- looks good temporarily but does nothing physically for the driveway.
The other school of thought says that it seals superficial cracks (you can use other thicker similar compounds for thicker/deeper cracks) and thus prolongs the life of the driveway. This would be especially true in Northern climates where tiny cracks become bigger cracks with freeze/thaw cycles. I'm not sure what the benefit is in southern climates where there is no freezing to get into cracks.
In any case, I have been doing it about every other year (don't believe the 7 or 10 year guarantees -- even the best stuff tends to start chipping and cracking for me after 2-3 years here in New England). I can say for sure that it makes my driveway look nice and new and anecdotally that it seems to be preventing new cracks from forming or expanding. YMMV.
From my close inspection of the 40-some driveways in this blue-collar semi-rural sub as I make my nightly walks, recoating every 3-4 years with the quality glop (the sand-filled kind) does seem to extend the lifespan. It does have one big downside, though, if your driveway is sloped, like mine is. A quarter-inch of snow, or even a heavy frost, makes the driveway almost impassable. Already cost me one transmission.
My neighbors tried to shame me into sealing mine last year, since the coating previous owner put on 5 years ago is pretty well gone. Being a klutz, I try to avoid close contact with 5-gallon buckets of substances that Don't Wash Off. So, I called a couple of driveway companies for their free estimates. Both of them told me not to waste my money- my driveway is too far gone and needs replacing. Given the current housing market, I'm reluctant to sink another 4 grand into this place, much less the 6 or 7 grand a broom-finish concrete drive would cost. (That I could actually use in winter without having to get the leaf blower out for every trace of snow.)
-- aem sends...
=BDOne was spent
t to do again.
two things.
public roads cant use regular sealer because it can make roads more slippery. so they do the asphalt gravel thing to accomplish basically the same thing/
on the driveway too bad to seal...... call a asphalt contrasctor who can patch cheap coat the worst areas, then wait and seal everything.
even getting a handyman type to seal your existing driveway will prevent futher detoriation and help its appearance.
incidently new sealers are water based, stuff that gets on you is easily washed off
(snip)
Yeah, both companies offered the option of adding an inch- inch and a half of asphalt, but they both said they would not guarantee it would hold up. My existing drive is in really crappy shape already- painting it with big-box sealer might make it look better from a distance, but it probably would not help it last longer. Not smooth any more, chunks coming out, etc. The proper repair is a rip and replace over new substrate prep. There is one big patched spot already, where previous owner obviously didn't do any prep underneath. And I will take an ugly drive over buying another transmission.
I can afford a new drive, and may even break down and get it done come fall, once their busy season is over and prices come down. But there is SO much other stuff this place needs, and houses are not selling worth a damn here lately. I just need to have the place presentable enough to sell at not too much of a loss in 2-3 years when I leave town.
-- aem sends....
well you should either replace the driveway, or seal it now along with hole patching, then a thin coat right before sales time, or a brand new driveway at that time.
Unfortunately I dont believe the economy will bounce back much.
way too much credit card and overal debt, perhaps 10 years for a decent recovery.
the go go days are gone forever
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