Sealcoating FAQ

There are many different sealcoats on the market and it can be confusing which one to use.  The guide on what to use would be mostly dependent on the type of traffic.

The products available at hardware stores are generally diluted and are helpful more towards very low traffic areas as they are generally thin.  These products are water based emulsions, acrylic modified ones, and epoxy modified ones.  We recommend these for residential driveways or walkways only.

Commercial / Industrial sealers are bought often in bulk and are only available until the stock tank runs dry (May to August).  These sealers are the common sealers we use. With these industrial type sealers we control the dilution and thickness.  They are supplied only by bulk tanker shipment.  These emulsion sealers will generally give the most consistent look to the finished surface and because they are thicker, will smooth the asphalt better to hide inconsistencies, and last longer.

Roaron Construction uses water carried sealers without coal tar.  Coal tar based products are toxic and we wish to stay away from them.  Some products are carried with solvents. Solvent carried products are almost as harsh to deal with as a coal tar enhanced product. We appreciate some of the benefits of solvent carried products, but try to limit their use to small or special jobs due to hazards associated with them such as transport, spill containment, respiratory irritation, and fire watch.

Special sealcoats can be supplied on a project by project basis.  These sealcoats are more expensive and are shipped out of the United States.   Special sealcoats would be ones of different colours or ones to protect from gas and aviation gas spills.

Friction is reduced in 95% of sealcoat installations. For this reason they are not installed on high traffic roads and freeways. Vehicles should not notice a difference under slow speeds (<50km/hr).

Some sealers such as acrylic modified ones and solvent carried ones can be much more slippery when wet when compared to a standard emulsion.

For the most part, when walking on the surface there shouldn't be a noticeable difference until it is wet. Even then, it is minor.

Sealcoats will age depending on the prep, curing weather, traffic, and build thickness.

Using our industrial based sealer, a first application we expect 3 to 5 years before a 50+% rock exposure is visible. Normally this 50% wear occurs on high traffic areas and turning locations. Areas of low traffic and parking areas should maintain better than 50% for 5+ years. The asphalt will still remain darker and the voids between the aggregate will be filled to maintain a smoother surface, but the top points of the surface aggregate will wear off first.

The protective layer of sealcoat will continue to work after the sealcoat is worn down to expose the aggregates on the surface. The asphalt binding the smaller particles keeping the pavement smooth should be covered with sealcoat much longer to protect the surface from oxidation.

Yes and no. Areas with higher traffic loads will scour the sealer off faster than low traffic areas. It takes experience and in depth understanding on how much to apply. Inexperienced installers who can not vary the thickness of application will inevitably create a problem in the future.

Too little sealer with moderate to high traffic loads or shear forces from turning will be insufficient and cause premature wear.

Too much sealer will cause surface cracking. Asphalt sealer is not the same composition as asphalt pavement. The two products will change volume differently under temperature change and the sealer will oxidize and become brittle. If the sealer is too thick, it may move, shrink, and create surface plate cracking. This is not normally an issue in a vehicle traffic area, but rather to areas untouched by vehicle traffic.

To obtain the protective benefits of a sealcoat, the surface should be sealed when the pavement is between 1 and 5 years old. Sealing pavement that is older will only help improve curb appeal and help smooth the surface.

Sealcoating should be done under the basic two conditions.

1. The nighttime temperature should be 15 C or higher.

2. There should be no rain 24 hours before or 48 hours after.

For British Columbia, heat can sometimes play a factor into the sealing. Placing sealant in the afternoon sun on a 30+ C degree day is not desirable. A flash cure of the product can occur limiting saturation bond to the pavement.

It is also a consideration to have nighttime humidity levels below 90% on the first night of cure.

A normal sealcoating season for BC is May to August. Can it be done later? Sometimes, but only depending on weather and supply.

It is very difficult to provide such numbers as the prep work, detail work, size, and other restrictions really play a role in the cost.

We apply the manufacturers recommended application rate or more. We do not apply less or dilute the product to gain coverage. Roaron Construction has done sealcoating with many products over the past 30 years and have extensive knowledge on how to make sealcoats last.

Costs will range from $0.30 to $1.00 per sq.ft. on average.