Printable View
I've been calling around getting estimates on getting my asphalt drive sealed (for the first time, it was just paved late last fall). Some places spray it on and others brush it on. A place that brushes it on said that it does a better job than spraying. Any feeback on this?
Do you see the highways departments sealing newly placed asphalt? What are you sealing for and why???
Egon
Egon - The paver told me it would keep moisture from getting into the asphalt. They recommended it. When I got estimates, they all said it should be sealed within the first 6 months.
Danny:
My knowledge base is quite old, out of date and requires little storage space.
But back when a chip coat [ many times called a seal coat was applied to improve traction ] Pavement would also receive this chip coat if it was starting to deteriorate.
The chip coat comprized of a sprayed on hot tack coat covered with fine gravel chips that traffic would pack. The winshied installers loved it.
I could see a hot sprayed tack coat applied after 3-4 years and then on a 2-3 year maintenance schedule but not on new pavement.
Things keep changing on me.
Egon
I was told that same thing about my driveway. I had planned on having it done but then time got away from me and its now 10 years old and in great shape. I do make sure that no plant life comes up by using roundup.
PJ
I just left highway dep't service after some years.. The problem today is with the binders used. Not too many years ago, asphalt could be layed down and wait 7 years before sealing. Today, and depending on who isdoing the mix, asphalt can stay 7 years and other times within 6 months something has to be done. All depends how much binders the mixing plant wants to use in any given batch. There are several other minor variables that could play into it. I switched the town over to chip seal, as mentioned above.. We had to have a sweeper and go over fresh chip seal within a few hours because of winshield damage. Again, some roads needed it almost immediately and others could/can wait.
There are two kinds of sealers I know of - the latex based you usually see in the 5 gal cans or the acrylic that gets sprayed on. The latex will fill voids, the spray on acrylic will not but it is also a barrier to gasoline/oil spills, the latex is not so you're really comparing two different products, not just a different way of applying the same product. What kills a driveway is the oil binder drying out and water seeping down into the pavement and freezing. Not a problem in Florida but anywhere you have freeze/thaw cycles you want to keep the water on top and running off and not allow it to seep in. Not sealing WILL allow water in as it's a porous surface even if it looks solid. Conventional wisom will alow surface to weather for at least one season before sealing. I did that, then sealed with a latex filler the first year until all the pores were filled. Year after I went with the acrylic and have been very happy with the result. (The vendor who did the acrylic was the one who reccomended using a conventional sealer first.) I wouldn't use towns as a good example of how to care for pavement, they have cost issues and you may notice the shape the roadways are in and how often they get milled/filled and patched every spring!!!!!!!