38205 Dupont Boulevard, Selbyville, Delaware 19975, United States
You know it Protects and Looks Good, but what is it?
There are three basic types of Driveway Sealing. The first is gilsonite. You can tell gilsonite apart from the others because it leaves a shiny wet look on the driveway. Gilsonite basically adds the oils back into your Pavement that it had when installed, and helps shed water. The second is Coal Tar, which is what w
All about Sealcoat continued
Sealer
use in Delaware. Coal Tar is emulsified with water, and when the water evaporates it bonds to the surface forming an impenetrable surface so water and UV Ray's cant get in. As of October of 2023 Maryland had a Coal Tar Ban, so in Maryland we use Asphalt Emulsion sealer (AE). It applies the same principals as Coal Tar, but uses Asphalt instead of coal tar. Lastly there is resin/latex based sealer which you will find at a hardware store. It is low VOC and in our opinion doesn't bond as well to the Pavement. It looks good at first but in 5-10 years you get gator cracks and flaking in the sealer material.
Crack Filler
There are two kinds of crack filler, hot and cold. Hands down hot is the best for Pavement preservation. However, when it gets hot in summer you will track it into your garage, house, carpet, and hardwood floors. We only use cold fill which is Coal Tar that has been rubberized.
Timing
Our sealer is best applied when temps don't go lower than 40 at night and 60-65 during the day. We usually start by May and are done by the middle of October. Each driveway is different, if you are shaded, or have alot of trees, your season could vary.
Rain
Sealer dries much faster on hot summer days than in the spring and fall, also humidity and wind play a significant factor. It the summer at 90 in sunshine it can handle a light shower in an hour or good rain in three. At 60 in the shade it needs 24 hours.
Application
Both spraying and handbrushing are good methods when done correctly. We have seen both good and bad jobs from either. We choose to brush for a number of reasons. First, no over spray or wind issues. Second we don't need a second man to hold a hose or a guard board. Third less equipment maintenance. Fourth most of the driveways we do are small and we would still have to cut in with a brush. Lastly, we believe you get a little thicker coat with a brush.
Lifespan
Depending on your personal taste sealer in general will last 2-5 years. YOU CAN over seal a driveway. The sealer gets too thick, can't flex enough and it spider cracks. The only real way to fix it is to let it wear down, before the next applications. There are way to apply a very thin coat of sealer if it is something you have to do every year, but for the most part when the stones in the asphalt start showing it is time to call us. Before then the sealer is still doing its job.
What To, and What Not To Expect
When we show up WE WILL edge and blow off your driveway, as well as remove light dirt spots, oil spot prime, and fill any cracks with cold crack filler.
WE WILL NOT powerwash off your driveway, remove caked on dirt from construction, remove moss (in large quanities) or spray weeds. These things should be done prior to our arrival, and are not part of our services.
What to expect for finished product will depend on the condition of your driveway when we start. Oil spots and filled cracks will look darker in certain lights, and brush strokes may be visible under certain light conditions until the driveway gets some wear on it. Sealer will not level out low spots or textured areas. Some flecking (tiny pinhead spots) from the brush can happen, but is usually not noticable from more than 3 feet away. Sealer also won't fill spider cracks, or repair damaged areas, more expensive repairs could be needed.
Sealer Myths and Legends
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