Primer on Asphalt Sealing and Coating

While it is one of the most durable and long-lasting products out there, even asphalt can wear down over a period of years due to significant stress and exposure to both impact and the elements. This is particularly true for the surface areas of your asphalt, which can eventually turn gray and wear down in small ways over a period of years or even decades.

At Go Pave Utah, we can help with one of the primary solutions at your disposal for preventing or restoring this kind of issue in your asphalt: Sealing and coating (sometimes just called “sealcoating”) services. Here’s a quick primer on what asphalt sealing does for your surfaces, and how often you should be considering having it done. 

Asphalt Sealing Basics

The goals of asphalt sealing are to retain the beauty of your paved surfaces while saving you money on lasting products. We use several different kinds of specific seals combined with various materials, including scrubs, sand or chips of some kind. We pour a liquid onto the asphalt, then an aggregate that forces its way into the pavement. From here, a broom or roller is used to smooth the solution over the entire surface. 

We also provide two other sealing formats:

• Slurry seal: A seal that fills cracks and makes the asphalt more resistant to skids, while also providing protection from UV damage. Slurry seals are slightly cheaper than asphalt overlays. 
• Microsurfacing: Great for heavier damage, microsurfacing fills cracks and holes in a durable way. It can also be prepared much faster than other sealing types. 

What Sealing Protects Against

Asphalt sealing can protect against all of the following risks to your surfaces:

• Oxidation
• Oil damage
• Chemical spills
• UV rays
• Water penetration and rain
• Frost
• Snow and ice damage
• Potholes and cracks

Trickle-Down Benefits

Through these kinds of protections, asphalt sealing can benefit you in several distinct ways:

• Appearance enhancement: For those simply looking for an aesthetic upgrade to their surfaces, sealing is a great way to get that same striking black color you had when asphalt was first installed. 
• Long-term repair costs: Due to the way your surfaces will be protected, asphalt sealing can save you large sums in future repair costs. 
• Extended lifespan: Down similar lines, your asphalt will last longer before it needs to be replaced.
• Melting speed: When snow or ice are present on your asphalt surfaces, they will melt faster if the surface has been sealed recently.

Sealing Frequency Recommendations

Sealants are known to extend the life of various asphalt surfaces by roughly three to six years in most cases, and this is roughly the recommendation for how often you should have this done as well. This may vary slightly depending on the stress on your surfaces and the elements they’ve faced.For more on asphalt sealing and how it benefits you, or to learn about any of our asphalt paving or repair services, speak to the pros at Go Pave Utah today.