Asphalt Sealcoating

A quality asphalt seal coating job covers and fills not only the top of the pavement which is subject to traffic wear but more importantly seals and fills in the pores that exist between the aggregate. These pores are where water, and chemicals infiltrate the surface and where the binding agents of the asphalt are evaporated and eventually leach out and wash away.

There are four application methods typically used to apply asphalt sealer. Here is a brief description of each method along with the Pro's and Con's of each.

Different Methods of Sealcoat Application:

Do-It-Yourself

Protection Rating - Poor

Pros: Illusion of being a cheap application

Cons: If you have ever sealed a driveway yourself you know that it can be back breaking labor. You will need to by several buckets of the sealer at a hardware store. After you have lugged many of these 50lb buckets around on your driveway for half a day in the blazing sun, having ruined at least one pair of shoes, one pair of pants, a shirt, and a junky hardware store roller, brush and/or squeegee, you will come to the conclusion that you have not purchased enough sealer. You will then have to drive back to the store a broken and bitter man.

Most likely, the buckets you will be purchasing will have an inferior blend of sealer compared to what almost any reputable seal coater will use. The sealers available at hardware stores are usually water based and have a high percentage of solids, i.e. sand and clay. Stir one bucket and you know what I’m talking about. Hardware store brands know that the average homeowner falsely believes that large amounts of sand are needed for traction. They also know that sand is a very cheap additive.

A recent study from the Pavement Coating Technology Center (PCTC) concluded that high volumes of sand in sealant mixtures wore-off pavement test surfaces at least 82% quicker than surfaces covered with volumes of sand comparable to what we at South Florida SealCoat use. (Sebaaly, 2005)

 

Roller Application

Protection rating - Poor

Pros: Cheap, does not require expensive equipment or training. Gives the illusion to the Do-it-yourselfer that they can do a good job sealing their driveway.

Cons: Using rollers to apply sealer material causes the very top of the asphalt’s aggregates to become black and give the appearance of being sealed, in reality however there is usually only a thin coating of sealer on the surface. The pores of the pavement are typically not sealed at all as not sealer has actually been worked into the pores.

 

Squeegee Application

Protection rating - SealCoating - Fair  (For Speciality Applications) -  Good

Pros: Does not require expensive equipment. Uses more sealer than Roller Sealing, Better surface coating, doesn’t travel.

Cons: Though squeegees apply more sealer material to the pores of the pavement than roller applications, if the sealer is not applied properly using the squeegee, only a thin coating of sealer will remain on the surface. Consider how a squeegee works on your car window; you put a lot of window cleaner on but you scrape most off it back off with the squeegee. The same principle is true for driveway sealer; there are very specific methods required to properly apply sealer using the squeegee application method.

Very few professionals apply sealer using a squeegee. This application method is typically promoted by DYI centers. However please be advised that it requires a fair amount of trial & error and practice for a Do-it-yourselfer to learn these techniques.

At South Florida SealCoat, we only use the suqeegie application method for applying Slurry Coats or SealCoat Mudd. These are Very thick products which are used for very specific types of repairs. In these cases the squeegee is used to apply these substrate materials before asphalt sealer is applied using either the Brush or Spray application method.

 

Brush Application

Protection rating - Excellent

Pros: Seal coating using specialized seal coat application brushs is by far the superior method of sealing pavements in most residential applications (there are exceptions when using the spray method would be reccomended). The brushes spread a large volume of sealer evenly over the surface, our specialized squeegees leave a smooth yet thick protective layer. The bristles of the brush work the sealer deep into the pours and fill in all the little nooks and crannies. With brush coating the customer receives the benefits of a durable surface layer  that acts to stabilize and protect your asphalt. At South Florida SealCoat, we take the protection one step further by using custom made brushes specially manufactured for the commercial seal coater to provide you our customer with a durable, superior finish.

Another benefit is that our brushes and squeegees control the material better than other applicators so there will be NO sealer on garage doors, parked cars, or sidewalks.

The specific sealer that South Florida SealCoat will recommend for your driveway or parking lot depends on your specific driveway or parking lot and what is required to best seal and protect your investment. The different high quality sealers we use are very specialized. Different grades are used for different applications.

Cons: Brush application is far more labor intensive than the other commercial methods. It takes brush coaters longer to apply this superior protection. After all we can’t just jump out and wave a magic wand around and then jump back in the truck.

 

Spray Sealing

Protection rating - Excellent

Pros: Provides a uniform thickness on all surfaces of the asphalt when applied properly. Although there are some exceptions, spray sealing has become the industry standard for commercial parking lots. Spray sealing can also be a very effective method (in fact the method of choice) in certain residential applications.

This method of sealing also has the advantage of reduced surface drying times. The drying times can be reduced further if drying agents are included in the sealer formula. All sealers used by South Florida SealCoat contain fast dry additives to promote faster drying times.

Cons: Spray sealing requires expensive, specialized equipment and requires extensive training and experience to apply sealer properly. Spray sealing should never be tried as a Do-it-yourself project..!! This application method should only be preformed by trained, experienced professionals.

 

Please Take Note:

There is ONE DRAWBACK in having South Florida SealCoat seal your driveway or parking lot (regardless of which method we use). When we do the work, you, our customers are not allowed to stand out in the blazing sun swearing, and sweating, while ruining your clothing and shoes (but we do apoligize for this inconvenience.) 

For more information on driveway sealcoating, or about South Florida SealCoat, please feel free to call us.

 

CALL US TODAY !!

(954) 237-9864