Driveway Sealcoating

• You are working with tar. It is a sticky black substance that deserves respect.


• When preparing to sealcoat, wear old clothing and for sure old shoes. Do not rub your eyes if you get this tar on your hands.


• When working with sealcoat material, wear gloves because this tar can irritate skin.

Supplies

Instructions

1. Measure the size of your driveway or other surface that needs to be sealcoated. Determine the square footage and write this number down.


2. With the square footage in hand, go to the store and compare prices on 4.75 gallons of sealcoating liquid. You will see that there are different manufacturers and sometimes certain brands are actually on sale at the time you really need them to be.


3. Purchase the correct number of pails required to do your specific drive. Also purchase the squeegee.


4. Don't forget to purchase some crack filler while you are there.


5. Properly clean your asphalt using a broom, a hose and any other tools necessary to clean out the cracks and crevices.


6. Allow driveway to completely dry (if having used water).


7. Apply crack filler by using a caulking gun, if you purchased tubes or pour the liquid filler into the cracks if you purchased the gallon size material.


8. Allow to dry totally.


9. Remove the lid from one of your pails of sealcoat and stir with a stick so that the mixture is no longer separated. You'll know when this is the case when you no longer see any "veining" in the liquid as you stir.


10. Pour about 15% of the liquid in one pail out on your asphalt. Carefully spread the liquid with your squeegee evenly. Keep moving the material back and forth on your driveway and pouring more out when needed.


11. Be careful to not splash any sealcoat on nearby surfaces such as concrete walks, house walls, or other items nearby.


12. Upon completing the entire driveway, install a string or rope across the end of the driveway keeping cars and people off for about 48 hours. This time can vary, so check for dryness before driving any heavy vehicles on the newly sealcoated driveway.


13. Usually the squeegee is thrown out at this point, but you might want to attempt to clean yours and keep it for next year.

Several sealcoats claim they are good for multiple years and some might be. I think buying the medium priced sealcoat is the best way to go since the sealcoated surfaces may get scratched and fade anyway if left for more than a couple of years.