Asphalt Seal

[Creamer]

Western - I called Sealmaster in Indy yesterday - they seemed real helpful. I also called another place out of Kansas. Both said coal tar sealer would not be good as it actually softens the base and shortens the life of the drive even though it looks good for a few years. Both companies recommended an emulsified sealant with some polymer modification that make it slightly more flexible. the second place recommended a type of asphalt patch over the gatored area that goes on about 1/4" thick then you let it set for 24 hours and then seal the whole surface. Both said it would not give me a perfect surface as only top coating or replacement would do that and even topcoating would crack in alignment with the gatoring in a few years. both said the hotter and dryer the better for adhesion.

The fact that I can buy a drum rather than a bunch of buckets will hold down the cost though and probably simplify the application. I had never thought of that before someone mentioned it here.

Sounds like their advice follows what I got on this thread. Thanks for the help! i would not have known the questions to ask without reading this!

I am still going to get quotes from a local sealer or two just to check out the difference.

 

[Western]

That "gatering" patch is a newer product, I haven't used it ,but it seems to be have a good reputation. Each part of the country fairs better with various types of sealer. Most of them will be emulsified, also the polymers are a great addition. we always use polymer and sorry I forgot to mention it.

They also rent sprayers (Sealcoaterss) you may want to check that out, but your job may not be big enough to warrant it. Then they add the sealer and polymers and you add the sand, the machine will mix it all "purdy"

If you get a standard water faucet head and put it near the bottom of a plastic 55 gal drum, it is easy to drain onto your lot with a short hose.

Things I would get.
Simple Green cleaner, cleans the sealer off great, hands and tools.
Full body, cheap paint suit from lowes and a pair of old shoes:thumbsup:
Face mask if your sensitive.
For your lot a good stiff push broom since it is so rough, squeegees are the norm.

Having it done is as easy as writing the check, make sure you get 2-3 quotes and ask specific questions on how and what they will be doing for you. You want it cleaned well, air blown, NO loose debris and preferably sand in the mix, (most do not want to do this)

The lot has reached a good portion of it's life it appears ,so weight that when pricing. Want the sealer to do more for you, seal the cracks with a sealer also, check what the Box stores have compared to what Sealmaster has. In fact I would do that even if I didn't Seal coat it.

 

[Creamer]

After reading some of the suggestions here and doing some research I found that the Gator Patch and other similar products were for the most part asphalt emulsion with some long string polymer additives and a lot of sand mixed in to thicken it up. So rather than pay the $50-$100 per 5 gallon pail plus shipping since I could not buy it local except in 1 or 2 gallon pails, I purchased some of the asphalt emulsion sealer with polymer additives and mixed in my own sand. For the most part it looks pretty good but some parts where I got it on a little thick I have a little cracking and I will probably need to go over it again. I guess the real question is if it holds up over a freeze thaw cycle.

Just thought I would provide an update. thanks again to all helped out!

 

[joniy90st]

The lot has reached a good portion of it's life it appears ,so weight that when pricing. Want the sealer to do more for you, seal the cracks with a sealer also, check what the Box stores have compared to what Sealmaster has. In fact I would do that even if I didn't Seal coat it.

 

[Creamer]

I got to looking at it after my previous work and it still had a lot of little cracks in it. Went back to the store and bought a couple more pails of sealer and this time mixed in a lot of sand - to the point that it was the consistency of drywall mud and then literally troweled it on in the areas that needed it but not over 1/4' thick. Then i let that dry for a few days and went over it all again with sealer as there were a lot of little cracks - 1/8' wide or less - that I was worried about water getting in over winter and freezing. Here are a few photos of the final result. I thought it came out looking good so now we will see how it holds up.

The first photo is a closeup of the area where all the gatoring was. I know the tires tracks make it a little hard to see but there is not a lot of the gatoring showing. The second photo is more of an overview from the same direction as the original photo. I know that since it is all black now it is hard to see the cracking like you can on the weathered photo but as you can tell from the other photo it does look pretty good up close.
All totalled - for 2400 sq ft of asphalt was right at $300. If I was going to do it again i would have mixed my first repair material thicker and troweled it on in a couple of layers and sealed it once with a sealer with about 1 part sand to five parts sealer to keep it from shrinking and cracking. I will repost next spring after it has endured a winter to let you all know how it held up.
Just for comparison I had a quote from a sealing company of just over $400 to just seal it.

 

[Egon]

Looks good. :thumbsup:

Just be aware that a replacement fund being started might be a good idea.

 

[Creamer]

Update - The finish I put on it is about off now. I have decided that I need to dig water and a gas line under it so I am planning on completely replacing it next summer. I did get four or maybe five years out of it though until it got back to the condition it was in. That isn't too bad.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Nice of you to do the update info

 

[Creamer]

Only fair when so many had offered up advice.

Thanks again!

 

[NormaMangels]

Read thru a couple of threads here and thought i would still ask the question with photos. Looking for suggestions on what to do with my asphalt driveway. The top looks very rough but it has very few real cracks and is about 40 years old. I was wondering if I should seal it, top coat it, or other thoughts!

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

As you said that your asphalt are having some cracks, so it is better that you should repaired it with some liquid filler and then fill your cracks, by applying a layer of seal coating which will prevent the corrosion from a variety of elements, including water, oxidation, UV rays, and oil and gas spill. Last week my neighbour too had seal coated there asphalt driveway by hiring blacktop driveway contractors who had installed an oil based sealer, which is an ideal for new driveways and it has kept their asphalt driveway in the best condition and also provided them with newly paved surfaces which had not only make their property more attractive, but also safer.