seal coating?

[Waxman]

do you seal coat your driveway?

why or why not?

 

[Washmee]

I have my driveway professionally seal coated every other year. I'm not sure whether it makes the asphalt last longer, but the way it makes it look is worth the cost.

 

[Jim L.]

Last time I had it done it looked great...for about a week. It was a lot of money just to make it look pretty.

 

[MEP001]

A good seal coat should last a year or more. Most of these guys dilute it with water and just spray on a layer to make it look good, and it just wears right off.

 

[MudMoney]

I consider seal coating a Rip-Off,go buy filler for the cracks and do it yourself.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I do it to make the patched areas color look uniform with the rest.

 

[mjwalsh]

do you seal coat your driveway?

why or why not?

Waxman,

We do not have any asphalt. We just have concrete.

mike

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

We sealcoat every 3 or 4 years. Given a quality product, I do think it makes the asphalt last longer. It also makes it look good IMO. Definitely much easier to keep clean with either the broom or backpack blower.

Its been 4 years since we last sealcoated. We were going to do it this summer, but business was slow enough that we put it off.
Plan this time around was to DIY by renting equipment from an asphalt company. Priced it out, savings are over 50% and should take me about 8 hours including cleanup & travel time.

 

[mjc3333]

We have our own machine. When you buy the product that the professional use you have to add water. I think this is where you get taken. Too much water and the job last about a week done the right way it lasts about 3 to 4 years . There are many factors that come into play for example Temp moisture etc. The machine paid for itself after one use.

 

[Champion]

where can a machine be found?

 

[pgrzes]

Seal Coating

I am a carwash owner and also own a Sealcoating company. Sealing asphalt "PROPERLY" Will absolutely make the asphalt last longer. Find a reputable Sealcoating company do it for you, buying a machine to just do your own place is not worth it. Find a Sealmaster or Neyra location and ask them for a reputable Sealing Company. Be sure they use proper mixes and additives, and tell them you want a slightly higher then normal sand mix!!! You want a two coat application!!! If your lot is not real big have them BRUSH it on! Most likely will be sprayed. Sealed lots last longer, are easier to clean, and snow melts faster. The dead of summer is the best time to spray sealer and you can generally get a better rate. A good sealcoating company will do the proper job for less then you can buy buckets and do yourself and the material is not going to harm you lot!! We aware of armour all spots and tire shine trails!!! Sealer will not stick to it!!!! So if you have any other questions feel free to contact me offline and I will be happy to assist.

 

[mjc3333]

You can find all different places on the web for machines. This is a very simple setup that gives professional results. We use to get estimates of $2500 to $3500 for one car wash lot. Buying the machine, plus the supplies needed (55 gal drum (s)), costs us less than ONE professional seal coat job. For us, it was a no brainier. We found our machine locally, and buy all of our product from the same supplier to the professionals.


http://store.asphaltkingdom.com/pavement-sealcoating-machine-ak2200b.html

 

[mmurra]

We have done it ourselves by purchasing the product from the source. It is a lot of work to do it right. We saved $$ but would not do it again. i noticed the big retailers do not seal in my area (Walmart, etc). They must know something about return on investment. I noticed that McD is doing concrete on the rebuilt stores in the area. Mark

 

[sparkey]

You can find all different places on the web for machines. This is a very simple setup that gives professional results. We use to get estimates of $2500 to $3500 for one car wash lot. Buying the machine, plus the supplies needed (55 gal drum (s)), costs us less than ONE professional seal coat job. For us, it was a no brainier. We found our machine locally, and buy all of our product from the same supplier to the professionals.


http://store.asphaltkingdom.com/pavement-sealcoating-machine-ak2200b.html

Can you mix sand in your sealcoat with this sprayer? I have read where the trash pump type sprayers the sand just tears them up if you mix sand with your mix at the recommended rate. I would be buying my mix bulk from sealmaster.

 

[pgrzes]

If you wanted to do it right yourself and have a Sealmaster branch near you, most Sealmaster branches rent spray rigs out. The problem with a trash pump system is that you cannot agitate the product so the sand just drops to the bottom of the drum and clogs up the system, a professional rig will have a hydraulic agitate system to continually keep the product mixed. Sand is a definite need for a carwash lot. Depending on the product used(coal-tar, asphalt-emulsion) most need at least 35% water added to the mix, add in things like application method, temps, sunny, windy, overcast your mix will change by 10-15%. A one coat spray application will not last long. If anyone would like some pointers I would be happy to help out, I have been sealing driveways and parking lots for 10 years and can provide honest info for anyone in the carwash business.

 

[sparkey]

How much sand do you add to your mix? Reading the sealmaster coal tar sealer specs it calls for 300-500 pounds of sand per 100 gallons of concentrate. I have had my lot sealed several times over the past several years and I know they were not using any where near that amount of sand in the mix. Does this sound realistic to you?

 

[pgrzes]

I am usually about 1-2 lb per gallon. I mainly do residential, when I do my wash lot I might add a little more maybe another 1/2lb. If you go too much more then that you get tracking issues, it gets hard to spray that heavy a mix. I see guys on the forum talking about 5 lbs per gallon, but I just dont see the advantage it doing that. I like to brush as much of my work as possible, it gives the most uniform coverage and coating, the heavier the sand the more lines you get. I usually mix about 60-75% coal tar with 25-40% asphalt emulsion. The coal tar is a better longer laster sealer, but is more of a dark gray finish. The asphalt emulsion is a much richer blacker finish so the mixture gives the best of both

 

[mac]

You people are sick. Seals are nice friendly little critters. Why anyone would want to put tar on one is beyond me.

 

[gearhead]

I had mine done with cracks sealed and stripping after 5 years at a cost of 3K. Looks fantastic after 1 winter and have had many compliments. Does helps with the snow/ice melt. I will definitely keep doing it as needed being in a region where it freezes. And just sealing cracks by itself to me just looks plain terrible. Makes a big difference in appearance. Makes the place pop!

 

[MEP001]

You people are sick. Seals are nice friendly little critters. Why anyone would want to put tar on one is beyond me.

You spend too much time at the baby seal club.