How Sealcoat Works
Is Crackfill and Sealcoat Worth It?
The short answer is yes. It will save you money in the long run. Asphalt is a very expensive product. Even though asphalt doesn’t last forever, you want to get the most out of your investment. Crackfill & sealcoat helps protect and extend the life of your paved surfaces.
What Is Crackfill?
Crackfill is a rubberized material that is designed to fill cracks. This product protects water from getting under the asphalt. When water gets under your paved surfaces, it can cause damage when that water freezes. Rubberized crackfill can stretch and move when your asphalt parking lot expands and contracts and keeps water out of the cracks.
What Is Sealcoat?
Sealcoat is like sunscreen for your parking lot. It is a protective layer for your asphalt. Salt, oil, gasoline, and the sun can all dry out your asphalt and cause it to fail faster. It eats away the glue that holds asphalt together. Sealcoat is designed to coat the asphalt and protect against these. It is designed to wear off instead of the glue in the asphalt. Skipping this maintenance step will shorten the life of your asphalt parking lot.
How Often Should I Crackfill & Sealcoat?
There is no way to tell exactly how often asphalt should be sealcoated. It depends on a lot of factors. There are a few general rules you can follow. If your asphalt starts to look more grey than black, this is the most obvious sign that it is time to sealcoat. The grey look is because the sun is drying out the asphalt.
Every 2-3 years. After collecting large amounts of data on parking lots in Columbus, most parking lots can use a sealcoat application every 2-3 years. If you budget for this, you won’t get caught off guard by unexpected expenses.
The Sealcoat Process
The process of sealcoating asphalt is relatively straightforward. To start, the asphalt surface needs to be cleaned. Sealcoat crews scrub the surface of the asphalt and remove loose debris. Any oil spots are treated so that the sealcoat can bond to the asphalt. Once this process is complete, it is time to crackfill.
After the cracks in the asphalt have been cleared of debris and vegetation, the cracks can be treated. A rubberized, hot-pour crackfill is used to treat the cracks in the asphalt. Sometimes, multiple passes are needed to treat the cracks. Typically, only large cracks are treated with crackfill. Cracks 1/4” and larger are the main focus. After the crackfill is installed, but before it is cooled, sand is added to the surface of the crackfill. Now it is time to sealcoat the parking lot.
Sealcoat is a liquid product. It is commonly applied with a sprayer or a squeegee machine. For the best result, it is recommended to do a 2 coat application. Each coat of asphalt sealer is applied after the previous coat has dried.
If you would like to learn more about crackfill or sealcoat, contact me today!
