More and more often, businesses and property owners are turning to sealcoating to improve the look and longevity of their asphalt parking lots. According to current forecasts, the asphalt sealcoating industry is expected to grow by almost 5% in the next decade. This figure demonstrates the increasing popularity of sealcoating services for parking lots and other areas where durable pavement is essential.
But many people don’t know what sealcoating is or why they need to invest in this necessary pavement maintenance service. Among those who do know about sealcoating, many misconceptions persist.
Below, we debunk some common myths about sealcoating and present some asphalt sealcoating facts.
If you have a parking lot, there’s an excellent chance that sealcoating is important for your business and your budget. According to industry survey results, parking lots make up 80% of the market for sealcoating, though many more applications exist, including the paved areas at racetracks, airfields, school playgrounds, and sports stadiums.
It’s essential to understand the important of asphalt sealcoating for a variety of reasons.
It’s also important to understand why sealcoating is necessary even when asphalt pavement appears to be in good repair. Typically, an asphalt mixture consists of limestone rock with asphalt used to bind the rock and any protective additives together. Because of continual use, as the asphalt ages and weathers, it oxidizes and becomes brittle. Microscopic cracks begin to form and allow water to seep into the pavement, which can lead to large cracks and potholes over time. It is important to sealcoat your pavement on a consistent schedule as soon as the pavement is installed in order to avoid cracks and other damage.
Below is a list of common misconceptions about sealcoating..
Sealcoating cannot remove cracks from pavement. If your pavement already has cracks in it, the cracks will need to be filled by a hot rubberized material prior to sealcoating. It is important that cracks are filled as soon as they start to appear in your pavement. If a property owner does not address pavement cracks within one year of them developing, the cracks will continue to get larger and eventually lead to potholes, “alligatored” cracking, and pavement subbase failure.
Typically, the width, depth, and condition of the cracks in asphalt determine what level of sealing and repair is necessary. If the asphalt has small linear cracks (less than 1/2″ wide and less than 1″ deep), the best technique for dealing with them is crack filling with a hot rubberized material. If the cracks appear to be “alligatored” or “spiderwebbed” and display a high degree of edge deterioration, more intensive repair strategies will likely be necessary (such as spot patching or partial-depth patching.)
Our general guidelines suggest sealcoating every three to five years, but sealcoating schedules can be flexible. The best maintenance schedule will depend on a few different factors:
All sealcoating materials are NOT created equal. A quality sealcoat material will need to be able to pass a rigorous set of standards before it can be applied commercially. That being said, there are sealcoating companies that use “lower quality” sealers in order to cut their costs. It is important that a property owner hires a reputable, experienced sealcoating contractor that can provide knowledge and literature on the sealcoat materials they use. At DB Krieg, our Sealmaster® Pavement Sealer has been thoroughly tested and meets or exceeds every requirement.
It might seem that because sealcoating is a “top coat” of material, it is not a durable solution. On the contrary, sealcoating is effective because it helps preserve the resiliency of asphalt by filling in, and coating, the microscopic pores that allow water penetration.
Many businesses mistakenly believe sealcoating is expensive. In reality, sealcoating is extremely cost-effective, especially when you consider the project in terms of the expensive repair and replacement it will prevent. Of course, you want to make sure you hire a reliable contractor that upholds rigorous standards of quality in its labor and materials. In other words, the cheapest contractor is not necessarily the best option. Nonetheless, quality sealcoating is very affordable, typically only cents per square foot.
Some businesses may think that sealcoating is useful but simply not worth the time and money. However, sealcoating provides invaluable benefits that are well worth the investment. It protects against serious water damage and UV ray damage, and it limits the harmful effects of oils, fuels, deicers and other chemicals. It provides a sleek finish that will give your business an aesthetically pleasing finish, and it saves you the hassle and expense of major repairs down the road.
Many businesses put off or ignore their sealcoating needs because they fear that sealcoating will be too much of a hassle for them and their customers. But a good sealcoating contractor will work with its clients to minimize disruptions as much as possible. While it is best to fully close a parking lot for sealcoating to be completed, it is possible to do the work in “sections” if the business is unable to close the entire parking lot at once. A qualified contractor like DB Krieg can work with you to sealcoat your lot in a way that best meets your specific needs.
Asphalt sealers and mix designs are different, and the choice plays a pivotal role in the quality and lifespan of the completed work. Too much water in the mix can weaken the performance. On the other hand, added sand can enhance performance by increasing traction for slippery conditions. And added latex can reduce the tracks that vehicles leave in the asphalt. DB Krieg’s mix design contains both of these additives, so you can rely on our sealer to hold up in safety, performance and aesthetic appeal.
Some businesses may fear that sealcoating will be a drawn-out process. Typically, though, sealcoating is quick. After the coating is complete, you must typically wait less than 24 hours before driving and walking on the pavement, depending on weather conditions. A good sealcoating contractor will work with your business to complete the sealcoating within a timeline that works for you.
Immediately after sealcoating, surfaces may show marks such as tire tracks, especially during periods of high heat and humidity. This situation is temporary — it will resolve itself when the sealer has completely cured. Typically, this process takes a week or two. Afterward, your asphalt will be as mark-resistant as ever.
Sealcoating provides many benefits for asphalt, but it cannot make the surface look like new. Indentations, depressions, divots and cracks will remain in the asphalt. Sealers can seal these blemishes and provide vital protection against water damage, but they cannot make imperfections disappear.
One last misconception about sealcoating is that it damages the surrounding plants and grass. This is not the case. At first, some of the sealer will coat the surrounding grass because it must cover the entire asphalt surface. When you mow the grass, though, your grass will continue to grow back in as normal.
Some people believe asphalt is not a durable material, especially when compared with concrete. However, asphalt can last for many years if properly maintained. If property owners make sure to crack fill and sealcoat their pavement every 3-5 years, asphalt pavements can last for as long as 35 years.
Cracks pose a significant risk to the structural integrity of asphalt pavement. Businesses should treat even small cracks seriously and take immediate action to prevent them from growing. Crack filling is the best way to go for tiny cracks because addressing these problems while they are small saves money over the long term. If cracks are not filled with a hot rubberized material by a qualified contractor, small cracks will quickly evolve into larger ones and from there into unsightly and hazardous potholes.
Sooner or later, if asphalt cracks go untreated, the subbase of the surface will fail. At that point, businesses face the considerable expense of replacing their entire asphalt surface rather than filling in a few cracks.
The National Asphalt Pavement Association’s surveys confirm that the asphalt industry continuously improves its sustainability practices. It does so by increasing the use of warm-mix asphalt and recycled materials. Warm-mix asphalt is eco-friendly because it uses temperatures that are 30 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit lower than those used for hot-mix asphalt. For this reason, it produces less smoke, uses less energy and results in lower fuel emissions. And recycled materials such as reclaimed asphalt pavement and reclaimed asphalt shingles help conserve raw materials. The asphalt industry recycles asphalt pavement at a rate of 99%.
Understanding the sealcoating myths listed above will help you in a variety of ways when you’re looking to hire a qualified sealcoating contractor. Arming yourself with sealcoating facts provides these benefits:
DB Krieg has served the Harrisburg area and the surrounding Central Pennsylvania region for over 90 years. We use sealcoating materials that have undergone rigorous testing standards, and we are proud to use the most experienced individuals to get the job done. DB Krieg is happy to work with our clients to ensure that our services cause minimal business disruption, and our work is typically dry and ready within 24 hours of application.
To learn more about DB Krieg’s sealcoating services for your parking lot, contact us today.
Please contact Daniel B. Krieg, Inc. by filling out the form below, or by calling us at one of our locations.
