Even an asphalt driveway can degrade over time. But routinely seal coating your asphalt can help keep your asphalt in good condition today, and save you from costly repairs tomorrow.

What Does Seal Coating Your Asphalt Driveway Involve?

Seal coating an asphalt driveway is a cost-effective solution for preserving its quality and appearance, and extending its life. While even a highly durable material like asphalt will degrade over time, seal coating allows you to maintain it for longer, and with fewer costs.

The Benefits of Seal Coating Your Driveway

Unsealed asphalt is more prone to cracks and potholes that can damage the whole foundation of your driveway or parking lot. UV rays from the sun, as well as rain, air, and traffic all impact the condition of asphalt over time.

You’ve likely seen both fresh asphalt and asphalt that was in dire need of repair. Brand new asphalt pavement is black and has a smooth looking surface, while asphalt that’s deteriorated appears gray and has numerous cracks along its surface. As asphalt is exposed to the elements, small cracks will begin to form at its top layer, and then expand down deeper. Causing more serious damage that can be unsafe to drivers, and giving the asphalt a less appealing look.

But crack sealing, remove-and-replace repairs, and asphalt overlays — all maintenance options for asphalt — are more expensive, disruptive, and time-consuming to do compared to seal coating.

Here are all the specific ways asphalt benefits from seal coating.

Protects Against Water Intrusion

Water is notorious for getting beneath asphalt pavement surfaces. But the more water you’re able to keep out, the longer your asphalt will last. Seal coating your pavement helps fill in the hairline cracks that are most likely to be the earliest signs your asphalt is aging.

The problem with these small, thin cracks is that water can easily penetrate them. And, if this happens during the colder seasons, this water can then freeze and expand, which leads to larger cracks in the future. Additionally, large amounts of water from rainfall can damage the underlying base rock and gravel, damaging your asphalt even further.

Safeguards from the Sun

Ultraviolet light is no friend to asphalt pavement. Asphalt is made up of binders and aggregates that are particularly susceptible to breaking down under certain spectrums of light. So, unsealed asphalt that’s consistently exposed to the sun will break down faster than asphalt that’s been sealed on a routine basis.

Maintains the Asphalt Binder

Asphalt is actually petroleum-based. This means that any petroleum-based liquid that leaks onto the asphalt can join with the binder and soften the asphalt. It’s not uncommon for cars to leak. If you’ve seen black spots on parking lot pavement or driveways left by cars, it may just seem like an aesthetic problem, but in reality, those leaks are potentially damaging the asphalt.

Seal coating asphalt helps its binder remain intact and guarded against oil. However, if your pavement already has these oil spots, these will need to be fixed before you can apply the seal.

Extends Pavement Lifespan

The most obvious benefit of seal coating your asphalt is that it extends its life. Regularly maintaining high-quality asphalt pavement with seal coating can ensure that your pavement lasts 15 years or more.

Pavement Transformations: Experts in Asphalt Seal Coating

Cracks and wear to asphalt pavement may not seem like an issue today, but in the future, you could be facing an expensive repair or replacement cost. Pavement Transformations provides seal coating services that can help you save thousands of dollars on costly asphalt resurfacing.

Contact us today for a free quote.