sealing a driveway

12 years ago

We recently moved into our first single family home and some guy knocked on our door and offered to fill all cracks reseal the driveway (not sure of the dimensions but about 2 cars long and 2 cars wide) for $150. I researched the matter online and it said to beware of people who supposedly reseal but actually only coat it with oil.

So we bought some latex-ite (the 10-year kind with sand in it) and a squeegee and applied it ourselves after cleaning the driveway, letting it dry and filling the cracks (and letting those cure). Except we ran out and by the time we went back to the store, they only had the kind without sand available, so half of our driveway is sealed with the other kind (color is a little different but we don't care).

My questions:

-does 10-year latex-ite really last ten years or realistically how long? (we live in VA, so relatively mild but humid climate)

-it's too late for this time around but which is best to use, the one with sand or the one without?

-can you reseal a driveway indefinitely or is there a point where you have to repave and how do you know?

Thank you

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Comments (5)

GreenDesigns
12 years ago
Sealing your driveway is a useless expense. Many studies have shown that asphalt does not last any longer with these products applied than a drive that is left alone completely. It does make it "prettier" to some people, and thus some prefer to keep it coated. But it does not affect the long term wear. Proper site preparation and grading has a LOT more to do with how long your asphalt will last. Ours is 50 years old and has never had anything done to it. It's beginning to show a little wear around the edges and in one spot where a tree got larget than the original owner had planned for (they always do!) so it may need replacing in 10-15 years.
greg_2010
12 years ago
GreenDesigns is right. The only people who claim that sealing your driveway prolongs the life of it are the same people who are trying to sell you the product or other people who have fallen for their claims. There are no independent studies that support it.
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greg_2010
12 years ago
Forgot to add that filling the cracks with hot tar (like they do on the roads) WILL prolong the life since it will prevent weeds from taking root and cracking it open wider.
modelage
Original Author
12 years ago
Oh well. Lesson learned I guess. Thank you all.
modelage
Original Author
12 years ago
Oh well. Lesson learned I guess. Thank you all.