Sealcoating can be a messy job, so workers will need to wear the appropriate safety gear. They will also need to power wash the surface and treat oil stains with a special primer.

Smart property owners know that regular seal coating can save them money in the long run by extending the life of their parking lots and driveways. It protects the asphalt from oil and fuel spills and chemical penetration that degrades it.

Asphalt is made up of aggregate, which is rock or stone and gravel, held together by a binder that is created from the distillation of certain crude oils. The pavement degrades and becomes brittle over time, especially when exposed to the elements such as rain, UV rays, chemicals, or automobile traffic.

Sealcoating is an essential part of asphalt maintenance that is used to protect the pavement from damage and prolong its life. Professional seal coating services provide a number of benefits, including a jet black finish that looks like new pavement and reduces maintenance costs.

Before applying sealcoat, the surface must be cleaned of all dirt, debris, and oil. It’s important that the surface is free of any contaminants that could interfere with the adhesion of the sealer to the pavement. This is done with gas blowers, scrub brushes, and water hoses. The entire pavement should be clean before the sealing crew begins working.

If you don’t clean the surface thoroughly, it will be difficult to apply a thick and even coat of sealer. This can result in flakes or shedding of the sealcoat. It’s best to allow the surface to dry completely before applying any more layers of sealer.

A paved surface that is properly maintained will look great and attract customers to your business or residential property. The dark, sleek appearance of smooth pavement is also more attractive than old and cracking concrete, which can give off a negative impression to passersby.

Regularly scheduled sealcoating ensures that the surface of the pavement stays in like-new condition, which is critical to maintaining a commercial property’s curb appeal. It’s also easier to maintain a lot with smooth pavement than one with numerous cracks, which may need more frequent cleaning and repairs. If you’re interested in learning more about how sealcoating can benefit your asphalt, contact The Paving Lady to schedule a consultation! We offer a variety of products and services to enhance the quality of your parking lot, making it safer and more attractive for your customers and tenants. We proudly serve clients throughout the region.

Prep the Area

As with any job, it is important that your parking lot be properly prepped for sealcoating. Typically, this means removing all vehicles and equipment from the area so that it can be blocked off and made inaccessible to everyone during the process. This also ensures that nobody is driving through a fresh coat of sealer that hasn’t fully cured.

During this stage, workers will likely blow or sweep the surface of your asphalt to remove all loose pebbles and debris, ensuring that the surface is ready for a new layer of protection. This is also the time to complete any needed repairs. Potholes and other damage must be filled, and weeds should be pulled to prevent their return once the pavement is sealed.

A final sweep will help to clear any other materials away from the pavement, such as wood chips or mulch. This will allow for a smoother finish and an even appearance after the sealant has been applied. It is a good idea to use a power washer to wash away any chemical residue from fertilizers or paints that may be present on the blacktop as well.

You’ll want to make sure that the pavement is free of any moisture as well, as it can wash away freshly applied sealer before it has had a chance to bond. A day without rain is ideal for the application of sealer, and it’s important that any sprinklers are turned off a full 24 hours prior to your scheduled process as well as for a full day after.

It’s also a good idea to apply two coats of sealer rather than one thick coat. This will give you a more polished black look, and it will also help to extend the lifespan of your pavement by protecting it from oil, fuel, and other chemicals that can soften or degrade it over time.

Depending on the type of sealcoat used, it can take between 24-48 hours for your parking lot to dry completely after it has been sealed. This is important, as traffic on a wet surface can cause the sealcoat to crack and peel.

Stage the Barrel

The next step is to prepare the sealcoating for use. This means checking to make sure that the transfer hose is connected and that the sealcoating system’s lower ball valve is in the closed position. Before you do anything else, though, fill the barrel halfway with water and swish it around a few times to remove any small charring. This process is called curing the barrel and it’s something that every professional do before they use it for the first time.

The reason that curing is so important is because it’s the only way that the sealcoating can attain full cure. Sealcoatings start to release water into the ambient atmosphere as soon as they are applied, and the surrounding air acts like a large piece of blotting paper to soak up the released moisture. As the sealcoating releases water its volume shrinks which in turn allows the bottom layers to fully bond with the underlying pavement material. To achieve a good bond, all of the water has to leave the wet film.

In humid conditions, the wet sealer film has very little capacity for water to be absorbed, so it has to leave the wet film at a much faster rate. This explains why sealcoatings applied in humid conditions take longer to dry and cure than those that are applied under less humid conditions.

This is the primary reason why it’s very important to only apply sealcoating in temperatures above 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Sealcoatings that aren’t cured under proper conditions have very little integrity and can be easily torn or dislodged by vehicles driving over them. If you want to avoid this kind of trouble, look into getting a professional rig with hydraulic agitation instead of trying to build your own rig out of totes. They’re available from many manufacturers and you can often find used ones on Pave Market for a fraction of the cost of building your own. They’re also a lot more reliable. If you’re serious about getting into sealcoating I highly suggest you subscribe to Pave Market-you get a free subscription for newbies and there are lots of great tips in their forum there too.

Apply the Sealcoat

Sealcoat adds a layer of protection over the asphalt surface that keeps out moisture, cold temperatures and UV rays. It helps preserve the underlying materials and can even make the pavement look newer and more attractive. It’s not something you should skip to save money or time, but rather an investment in the long-term health of your parking lot or driveway.

The first step is to clean the surface thoroughly. Professional pavement contractors use robust cleaning equipment, including blowers, rotary brooms and sweepers. They also hose out linear cracks with hot rubberized crack filler to ensure the sealcoat will be able to expand and contract with the pavement over time.

If the surface is contaminated with oil or gas, it’s best to remove it entirely before applying the sealcoat. The contaminant will react with the petroleum binder in the asphalt and cause rapid deterioration. Once the oil or gas is removed, the paved area should be cleaned again with a pressure washer to make sure the surface is completely clean.

After the surface is clean, workers can choose to apply the sealcoat by hand or using a spray rig. An experienced operator with a squeegee machine will likely be able to apply the material faster than a spray applicator, but both methods have their advantages. A spray rig can be more efficient and provides better coverage, but it requires specific knowledge to troubleshoot problems like clogged tips or inconsistent application.

Both spray and squeegee applications have their benefits, depending on the conditions of the asphalt. If the surface is very smooth or has been previously sealcoated, a squeegee may be more effective as it forces the material into the voids of the pavement. If the surface is rougher, a two-step process of squeegee and spray application is often used to achieve optimal results.

After the first coat of sealcoat is applied, workers should re-block any access points such as manhole covers and utility access points. They should also set up cones and barricades to keep vehicles and pedestrians away from the work area until it dries completely. Once the sealcoat has cured, traffic can be allowed back on the paved surface.