5 Points To Know About Sealcoating Your Asphalt Driveway
Sealcoating is an asphalt treatment that can be applied to driveways and parking lots. If your home has an old asphalt driveway that's faded and looks old, it may be detracting from the beauty of your property. Sealcoating is sort of like adding a fresh coat of paint to your home. It makes your property look well-cared for and attractive. These are five important points to know about a driveway sealcoat.
1. Sealcoating Doesn't Make Repairs
If your driveway has cracks or potholes, those need to be repaired first. The sealcoat is too thin to make repairs and the cracks and other damage will just show through the sealcoat too. The coating is black, so it covers your entire driveway in a uniform color. This hides the faded asphalt and makes your driveway look newer and fresher.
2. The Application Requires Mild Weather
Unless you live in a warm part of the country, you probably won't have the coating applied in the winter. The driveway and air temperature need to be moderately warm first, but excess summer heat isn't good either.
Your contractor can help you choose the right time to have sealcoating done. They'll choose a time when the temperature is projected to be in the right range for a couple of days and when no rain is expected.
3. A Sealcoat Isn't Permanent
The coating isn't permanent, although it could last several years. It wears away due to vehicle traffic, rain, and sun exposure. You'll need to get a new sealcoat when the old one wears down so your driveway continues to look nice and has a protective coating throughout its life. A sealcoat could help the asphalt last longer.
4. Sealcoating Protects Your Driveway
A sealcoat makes your driveway more attractive, but it does much more than that. The coating protects the asphalt from sun damage and puts a layer of rain protection on top of the driveway.
Asphalt naturally dries out and deteriorates over time due to sun exposure. When the driveway is covered with a coating, the sun is blocked from reaching the asphalt, so the asphalt should have a longer life with fewer problems with cracks and holes.
5. The Coating Needs Time To Dry
Just like paint, the coating has to dry before you can use your driveway. The coating is different from paint, and it takes longer to dry, depending on the weather conditions. You may need to wait a couple of days before you can use your driveway again, so you'll need to make other arrangements for parking your car during that time. Your contractor will let you know when you can go back to using your driveway normally.
For more information on sealcoating, contact a professional near you.
Share