Do not be fooled by cheap driveway sealing solutions.
Many times, driveways are sealed using diluted sealers or material not suitable for environment. These shortcuts only provide a short-term solution that will end up costing you more for the life of your driveway.
Before you are left with driveway that does not looked sealed after the winter, we have outlined what you should look for when selecting a driveway sealing contractor.
When you hire a driveway seal coating company you have certain expectations. You want a professional job completed so you do not have to burden yourself with the task of doing it yourself.
#1 Ask for References
Ask the contractor for a list of 3 – 5 jobs that they have completed in/or around the area. This will give you an opportunity to go and personally check out the quality of their work.
Look at reviews not just on the website but on Google, Bing, Yelp and Facebook. See what people are saying about your driveway sealing contractor.
#2 Specialization
If you want the highest quality workmanship in the industry. Driveway seal coating crews are specialists and only perform high quality, professional, meticulous driveway seal coating and repair services. They are not pavers one day, landscapers the other, power washers another day etc. Companies who specialize in seal coating focus on what they know best.
#3 Crack Sealing
The proper way to fix driveway cracks is to Pour Rubberized Crack Sealant to seal any cracks in the driveway which are larger than 1/2”. This method will last twice as long as cold sealing methods.
#4 Sealer Mix
One of the most important factors that go into a quality project. Where the contractor sources their material, what is added to the material after is what you should ask your driveway sealing contractor.
With the base sealer established, sand and other additives can and should be used in conjunction to the base mix design to help build a stronger product.
- Sand improves durability, skid resistance, decreased sun glare and helps improves appearance of minor deformities.
- Latex additives improves sand suspension in the material to help better fill surface deformities, oil and gas resistance, adhesion of sealer to pavement, aesthetics with a darker colored material.
#5 Attention to detail
Seeing examples of your prospective driveway sealing companies work you will be able to spot the difference between a “good job” and a “really bad job.”
- Driveway edge
All grass areas will be power edged to ensure a manicured finish upon application of sealer and will allow the pavement sealer to penetrate and seal the edges which are subject to erosion from water. If you have mulch beds, the mulch will be pushed back to expose the driveway edges. If you have Belgium block or brick pavers on the edge of your driveway, rest assured that our workmanship is the cleanest in the industry. We will take every step necessary to ensure that no sealer reaches any non-target surface. The crews all have water spray bottles on hand to immediately clean any spills. - Driveway Cleaning
High powered push blowers are used to remove all dirt, debris, mulch, silt and dust from your driveway. Good preparation is key to ensure the pavement sealer bonds properly. - Spot Cleaning, We will apply latex based oil spot primer to all oil, gas and grease spots on the driveway to provide a good cohesive bond with the pavement sealer and reduce bleed through.
- Joint Sealing
We will utilize Driveway Guardian Joint Seal to seal the joint between the asphalt and concrete at the garage apron if the joint has opened to a width of ¼” or more. - Broom Coating – All pavement sealers are applied with our specially manufactured nylon seal coating brooms which are manufactured exclusively for our company. These specialized brooms apply the most uniform coverage of material available ensuring a long-lasting job.
- Protection after sealing
Upon completion we will barricade your driveway with Orange Banner Tape to prevent people from walking / driving on the driveway for the 24 hr cure time. 48 hrs for parking your car is preferred to prevent power steering marks.
NO SPRAYING / SQUEEGEE APPLICATION / OIL BASED SEALERS USED
Please see the disadvantages listed below of the aforementioned applications:
- Spray Application: Spray applications are messy and rarely provide intended results and expectations of the home owner. In addition, in order to apply the material to 100% of the driveway, the contract has to “cut-in” by hand which will leave an unsightly texture difference where the coating was worked into the surface with a standard seal coating brush and where the area was “filled-in” by spray. When the coating dries there will be a “noticeable” difference in the texture and appearance of the coating. Spraying also allows the contractor the save over 60% on material costs, thereby, cheating the homeowner out of material that they have though they were paying for.
Both of these driveways were seal coated in the same neighborhood 2 days apart. Neither driveway was ever sealed before; both were gray in color and porous. The driveway on the left received a spray application two days prior to our seal coating crew seal coating the driveway on the right. The driveway on the left received a spray application (Notice the uneven texture, bare spots, overspray on the grass) and the driveway on the right received our exclusive Broom Flood Coating Application. If you were the homeowner and you paid $350.00 for the driveway on the right and $325.oo for the driveway on the left, would you feel cheated?
- Squeegee Application: Squeegee applications do not allow enough material to be applied to very smooth driveways and will result in a reduced service life. On the other side, if the asphalt is too rough and porous the squeegee application will leave too much material on the surface which will result in peeling, flaking, or worse: “Tracking” onto your carpets and hard wood floors.
Notice how the asphalt sealer is “scraped” off the surface after application like windshield washer fluid on a windshield.
