Asphalt is made up of sand and fine stones along with a asphalt binder which acts as a glue to hold these aggregates together and provides the pavement with that rich black color. Over time the binder begins to oxidize from exposure to the sun, snow, rain and other elements. This results in the eventual fading of the black color to gray. The fading color indicates that the asphalt is becoming less flexible which in turn results in cracking of the pavement. These cracks allow rain, ice and sun light to invade the asphalt and further break down the pavement. A high quality sealcoat applied periodically to asphalt is very important to avoid having to replace pavement prematurely.
How do you fix Cracks?
Small surface cracks can be filled with the sealcoat material alone. Larger cracks however require us to apply a high quality hot crack sealant before we apply the actual sealcoat. After the sealcoat is applied the crack sealant will be visible but it will prevent moisture from causing any future damage to the pavement.
How do you treat existing oil stains on my driveway?
We apply a special oil spot primer material on to the oil spots to prevent the oil from working its way up throught the new layer of sealcoat. In some cases oil spots will not completely disappear but this primer is successful in most cases.
How long do I have to wait to park after the sealcoat is applied?
The amount of drying time required for sealcoat varies depending on the air temperature and sun exposure. In most cases you can walk or drive on your new surface after 24 hours.
What do we have to do to prepare for the sealcoat to be applied?
The only thing we ask our customers is to have the driveway clear of any obstructions such as cars, equipment or other types of objects. We clean and perform other prep work after our arrival.
What is the best time of year for sealcoating?
Seacoating sould be done when the overnight temperatures do no dip below 55 degrees. That temperature window usually includes the months of late April through early October.
Will any harm be done to my lawn if any sealcoat gets on my grass?
We apply our products very carefully to avoid any primer or sealer falling on your grass. However if some may there will be no harm to your lawn, the next mowing will get rid of the materials.
What is hot melt crack sealing?
Hot melt crack filler is a rubber-like flexible product that is used to fill wider cracks. As the name implies the product is applied hot and when cool it becomes pliable and resembles a rubber like material which allows it to expand and contract with the crack. The elasticity of the hot melt crack fillers is the advantage over cold pour crack fillers used on smaller type cracks.
How soon can new pavement be sealcoated?
Newly paved asphalt takes time to cure. The curing time depends on the percentage of oil in the asphalt. The curing time could be as little as 30 days or up to 90 days or more. We advise you allow the pavement go one winter season before sealcoating.
What if I have any further questions
Plese give us a call. We will happy to answer them.
