Laying It On: The Ways And Means To Seal Your
Driveway:
Spring, summer and Fall is blacktop-driveway
sealing season and squeegee-and-bucket brigades
can be seen everywhere.
form to bridge void areas. Use the bristle side
of the applicator to smooth out any ridges.
NOTE: If you use a broom, make sure it is the
push type with long, stiff bristles.
The finished job will usually be dry to the
touch in about one hour and will be ready for
traffic within 24 hours; in the meantime, block
access to the driveway by placing the empty
sealer cans and your broom or squeegee at the
street end.
Expect sealer materials to cost approximately $3
per gallon or approximately $30 for the average
500squarefoot driveway. Budget $5 or more for
caulking to fill the cracks.
College students often seal driveways for
spending money during the summer. A reasonable
price would be $50 labor for the average
driveway.
SPECIAL NOTE:
Professionals can often do this job better and
cheaper. Sealing a driveway doesn't cost much,
whether or not you do it yourself with
over-the-counter supplies, but it's probably
smarter to have a professional do the job. The
reasons are clear:
The professional buys sealers in bulk lots at a
very considerable cost saving.
The products professionals use are better and
more durable than over-the-counter supplies.
They usually contain sand, more coaltar
emulsions and may be rubberized consequently,
they may be too caustic for consumer use. Also,
professional products often last from five to
seven years while the consumer varieties usually
deteriorate within two years.
Professionals charge from $100 to $200 for a 500
sq. ft. driveway in good condition. The lower
price is possible only when a contractor can
schedule a group of jobs in the same
neighborhood and can use one or two crews to
knock them out in a day; if it's possible, talk
to your neighbors or citizens association and
initiate a group arrangement.
WARNING:
Beware the fly-by-night sealers: With
unfortunate regularity, every spring and fall
unscrupulous itinerants who provide very
inferior work using substandard or bogus
materials travel through our area and take
advantage of unsuspecting homeowners.
Essentially their pitch goes like this: "Good
afternoon. We've just completed a job around the
corner and have enough material left on the
truck to do your driveway. Because of the
proximity of your house and the fact that we
have the materials and manpower at hand, we can
make you a special, low offer."
While you might receive such an offer from an
established legitimate contractor, the chances
are good that you are dealing with someone who
will not use sealer at all but will spread used
motor oil or something similar on the driveway.
The first rain will wash off the "sealer" and
you will be left with nothing but a mess in your
yard.
Most legitimate contractors will have a company
sign on the doors of their truck and many are
members of either state or national asphalt
paving associations. Their company names will
probably appear in the Yellow Pages.
Sealing or coating the top of an asphalt
driveway with protective materials is the most
effective way to extend its life. Without
sealers your driveway may deteriorate and need
replacement within 15 years; with them, its life
can be prolonged indefinitely.
The asphalt in the driveway is vulnerable to
oxidation, ultraviolet sunlight and gas and oil
spillage. In addition, water that penetrates
through cracks in the surface can lead to
deterioration from the bottom. A good sealer
will combine with the pavement and act both as a
renewable layer that can be sacrificed to the
elements and as a deterrent to water
penetration
Examine the surface of your driveway to
determine if more than simple sealing is in
order. Cracks that wander across the drive in
fairly continuous lines are common and are
treated by filling with special caulking
compound prior to sealing. Surface areas that
look like so many odd-sized overcooked
hamburgers laying side by side indicate more
serious problems: This is called "reflective
cracking" and means that the area should be cut
out and patched prior to sealing. Special
patching mixes are available to the consumer for
smaller jobs; large scale reflective cracking
calls for repairs by professionals.
The Basics:
Whether you decide to seal your own driveway or
hire someone to do it, you need to understand
the basic step-by-step approach.
The materials usually purchased from a building
supply store are often a coal tar emulsion
usually contained in five-gallon buckets (the
type with sand in it provides a less tacky
surface during very hot weather). Normally, a
single coat is applied a gallon will usually
cover about 50 square feet. You will also need
caulking compound to fill cracks. Caulking comes
in a bucket or a tube the differences are slight
but the tube type is easier to apply. You'll
also need a long-handled, 36inch squeegee with
bristles on the back side, a long-handled broom
and a cheap pair of work gloves.
The best time to work is in the early evening.
The driveway will still be warm, but the cooler
air temperature and lack of direct sunlight will
allow the sealer to dry evenly. You will be more
comfortable, too. NOTE: Never apply sealers in
rainy weather or when the temperature is below
50 degrees.
Put on a pair of pants and shoes you are willing
to dispose of this is a dirty job and start
work.
Use a screwdriver (or a similarly shaped tool)
and a broom to clear dirt, mud or weeds from the
cracks, then press in the caulking compound. If
the driveway is dirty, wash it down and pay
special attention to small pockets or low spots
to the casual observer these areas may seem
clean but they often hold silt from rain runoff.
Blast out any dirt with a water hose. Driveways
with oil spills should be washed with a
household detergent and then rinsed.
Pour a narrow width of sealer straight from the
bucket onto the driveway about two feet in from
the edge, then squeegee it back and forth. Pour
enough to cover approximately five square feet
with a thin coat. Since uneven areas will be
prone to cracking, spread the sealer carefully
and work the squeegee in three directions to
eliminate any bubbles that might