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new asphalt driveway
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Posted by kayakluv (My Page) on Tue, Oct 27, 09 at 20:35
| I had my asphalt driveway replaced in July. The paving company contacted me recently about a seal coat. is this necessary just 3 months after installation? is a seal coat needed before winter? or ever? or is it just a moneymaker for them. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: new asphalt driveway
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| Your supposed to wait a year as the base needs to breath |
RE: new asphalt driveway
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| They probably contacted you because they'd like a little more income this month and wanted to sell you something you don't need. Pass on this offer... |
RE: new asphalt driveway
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| If you have the driveway sealed before it has had a chance to cure for 6 months to 1 year as zl700 states, you will have serious problems later. The asphalt will not have time to harden and will remain soft below the surface, producing sunken and cracked spots within 2 years. Your best bet is to wait until the 3rd year before sealing but never less than 6 warm months after installation. The binder in the asphalt is what deteriorates over time, due to UV rays, road salts and weather. This won't happen in the first 3 years. After the 3rd year, sealing with the proper sealer will prevent that deterioration. Resealing every 3-5 years (depending on the grade sealer you use) will give much longer life to the asphalt. The really good sealers have a mix of clay in them which helps with the transport of the sealer onto the surface. It also serves as a binder in any areas that may have eroded out. On inclines more than 10-15% you may want to mix sand with it for better traction. |
RE: new asphalt driveway
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| thanks very much, everyone, for the good information! the paving company knows when a sealcoat is necessary for sure; it's really discouraging that they would take advantage of their customers this way. i don't think I'll choose these folks to do the job when the time comes. in fact, I probably could do it myself for less than the $350 they wanted to charge me, for what they said would take them an hour. |
RE: new asphalt driveway
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| There is a bit of work involved in sealing when you get to it. One thing to remember.....if you use a coal oil based product to seal, you'll have to continue using that in most cases. It's a lesser expensive sealer and usually requires reapplication every year or two. If you go with the higher end products, such as airport quality, they are warrantied for 5 and some for 10 years. That runs right now, about 30 dollars a 5 gal. bucket. There's another series of products that runs around 15 dollars a 5 gal. bucket that usually needs to be reapplied every 3 years. |
RE: new asphalt driveway
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| windslam, again thanks for the information! are these products readily available at a hardware store or are they by special order? |
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