Introduction
If you suspect that your driveway has been damaged, it’s time to call in professional help by searching for “paving companies near me” online. The local experts can guide you through the whole process. However, it’s helpful to understand the benefits of asphalt sealcoating before you hire the experts to get started on repairing your driveway.
The Benefits
Now, let’s look at some of the benefits of asphalt sealcoating:
- Prevents water damage – With time and constant use, driveways can form many different types of cracks such as alligator cracks, transverse cracks, slippage cracks, block cracks, and more. When it rains, water can seep into these cracks and slowly erode away at the surface. And during the colder months, it can freeze and expand to cause further damage and create more cracks.
The freeze-thaw cycle can happen every day since the water can freeze during the night and melt during the day and repeat over and over. Eventually, the damage can become so severe that it may harm the integrity of the driveway if left unchecked. When that happens, it can result in the formation of multiple potholes that are much more costly to repair.
Asphalt sealcoating creates a tough and protective layer over your driveway surface that helps to prevent water damage and further formation of cracks for a long time.
- Protects against spills – Since asphalt is petroleum-based, any petroleum-based liquid such as oil, grease, gas, and other similar types of liquid can join with the chemical binder in the asphalt pavement and deteriorate the surface of the road with time. The negative effect of the process is pretty common in areas such as parking lots, driveways, and roadways that receive high traffic in the form of black stains and spots.
Sealcoating helps to protect against such damage to the driveway by preventing spilled oil, gasoline, and other chemicals from seeping into the binder and eating away at it. However, it won’t repair any spot that has been stained previously. Thus, it is crucial to repair any stained spots on your driveway prior to sealcoating it to prevent the damage from spreading further.
- Slows down oxidation damage – The constant exposure of your driveway to the harmful ultraviolet radiation of the sun and the outside air results in oxidation damage that slowly erodes away the asphalt binder. If oxidation damage is not addressed early on, it can make the pavement brittle and lead to the development of cracks that can further lead to base failure, depressions, and stripping.
Sealcoating prevents the direct exposure of the binder to the sun and air which slows down oxidation damage. And you can extend the life of your driveway by reapplying the seal coat every 2-3 years.
- Improves the appearance of your driveway – The aesthetic and appearance of your driveway can play an important part in the overall look of your property, be it a commercial institution or a residential area. And sealcoating is a hassle-free way of quickly enhancing the look of your driveway. The rich, black look of freshly laid asphalt instantly attracts attention and elevates the look of your entire driveway.
- Improves skid resistance – Old asphalt driveways cannot offer optimal traction which often results in a loss of grip of tires over the surface of the road when cornering at high speeds in bad weather. This can result in catastrophic accidents. Asphalt sealcoat contains boiler slag and tiny sand-size particles not only restore cracks but also offer additional traction which makes a newly seal-coated road safer to drive on, especially during bad weather.
- Additional durability – Unlike concrete pavement which is rigid and can crack under pressure, asphalt pavement is flexible which flexes microscopically under pressure up to a certain extent to account for the weight when heavy vehicles such as trucks run over it. This helps to improve the longevity of your pavement. Thus, it is a budget-friendly option that performs almost as well as concrete to sustain the weight of heavy vehicles. However, you have to reapply the sealer to retain the flexibility of the surface.
- It extends the life of the pavement and helps you save money in the long run – A well-maintained asphalt pavement can last for 15-20 years and the key to maintaining its good condition is to periodically apply asphalt sealcoating. Compared to complete pavement reconstruction, sealcoating is a more cost-effective way to maintain your driveway.
Thus, it’s a better investment for your money to apply asphalt sealcoating to your driveway about every two to three years to improve its longevity than to not apply it and repair it every 10 years.
Asphalt Sealcoating Tips
Before getting started with the asphalt sealcoating process it’s important to consult with a professional to make sure you understand all the basics and do everything you can to achieve the best return on your investment. Here are a few things to discuss:
- The type of sealcoating to apply – There are three major types of seal coatings —refined tar-based sealcoating (RTS), asphalt emulsion-based sealcoating (AE), and specialty resins.
- Paving assessment – It’s important to thoroughly assess the condition and age of the pavement for cracks, contamination, structural damage and fix them before proceeding with the project.
- Cost of the project – The cost of the project can vary on a lot of factors such as the selection of sealcoating material, labor and management costs, crack filling, base or subbase replacement, patching, primers for oil spot priming, specialty primer needed for tree-lined sections, traffic marking, signage, logistical management cost, etc.
Conclusion
By now, you must have realized that it is necessary to repair your driveway as soon as possible to prevent any further damage that can make it damaged beyond repair. So, don’t hesitate to search “paving companies near me” on Google to ask for a professional opinion and get started with the project. If you wait too long, sealcoating your driveway may not be enough to cover the damage and you may need to reconstruct it which can cost a lot more.
Comments are closed.