One of my goals with these articles is to make them straight forward and easy to understand. This allows people with different backgrounds and experience levels to benefit from them.
It takes a lot of complex science and engineering to create asphalt sealers. Most people trying to seal their driveways probably don’t have time to figure out which sealer is the best based on science and engineering. For this reason, I will try to simplify things and give people a few things to look for when buying an asphalt sealer.
A few things to consider before buying an asphalt sealer.
- What is your budget?
- How long do you want the sealer to last?
- Where can you purchase the asphalt sealer?
- Do cracks need to be sealed or filled before sealing?
- Are there deteriorated areas (e.g. alligator cracking) that may need extra repairs before sealing?
What is your budget?
This is the first question to ask because if you only have enough money to buy the lower cost sealer then that is what you should buy. You can always consider the higher cost sealer the next time you seal your driveway.
How long do you want the sealer to last?
Every sealer may perform differently. If your budget allows, I recommend buying a high-quality commercial (more expensive) asphalt sealer. These types of sealers should have more asphalt cement (the glue), polymers (can improve bonding, flexibility and durability), and higher quality solids and fillers. I prefer the higher quality sealers because time is valuable, and I want to put down a product that will hopefully last 3 to 4 years. The lower cost sealers may not last as long because they typically have less of the items I list above. These products may only last 1 to 2 years.
Where can you purchase the asphalt sealer?
Depending on the sealer you choose you may be able to purchase it at a local big box store or it may only be available online. It seems like most commercial sealers have to be ordered online. Keep this in mind when you are deciding how much sealer to purchase. You don’t want to run out if you decide to order the material online. I would recommend buying extra sealer if you are ordering the material online, but it will depend on your budget.
Do cracks need to be sealed or filled before sealing?
I recommend sealing cracks with a high-quality flexible crack filler before applying an asphalt sealer. The asphalt sealer can seal some small cracks, but it isn’t meant to seal wider cracks. You can check out my other article on the supplies needed for crack sealing.
Are there deteriorated areas that may need extra repairs before sealing?
If you have potholes or alligator cracks in your pavement, I recommend taking care of these areas before sealing. If you don’t, your driveway can still deteriorate rapidly even after sealing. For potholes I recommend buying high-quality pothole patching material. For alligator cracks, I recommend buying a high-quality alligator patching material. I recommend buying the higher-quality products because repairing these areas can be challenging and it can be challenging to make the repairs last. The higher-quality products tend to have more of the items (e.g. more asphalt cement, polymers, fibers, etc.) that increase the chances of the repairs lasting longer.
Conclusion
Hopefully the information above has provided some insight on how to pick the best asphalt sealer for you. If you want more information on taking care of your pavements feel free to check out my other articles on my website.