By Steven Brahney | October 9, 2017

Parking Lot Sealcoating:

  • Have you recently had a seal coating project completed and are not sure if it was completed to meet the industry standards?   
  • Did a contractor "over sell" what asphalt seal coating will do?
  • Would you like to uncover potential defective workmanship before paying your contractors invoice?
  • Did the asphalt sealer quickly wear off the high traffic areas?
  • Are cracks still unsealed?

Please watch our video below to review a recently completed seal coating project that was not completed to industry standards.  Our video will help you as the property manager to uncover defective workmanship that will lead to a poor performing service life of the applied coating.  

 

 

 

10-sealcoating.png

Please Click The Picture Above To Download

GemSeal's Top 10 Questions You Should Be Asking Your Sealcoat Contractor

Gem_Seal_Pavement_Products.jpg 

What Asphalt Sealcoating Will & Will Not Do:

 

Asphalt seal coatingwhat seal coating will and will not dois recognized as one of the most beneficial preventative maintenance treatment for your asphalt parking lot when TIMED PROPERLY. The key to a successful preventative maintenance program is applying the proper type of pavement sealer at the correct time and interval. 

 

Far too many times, either inexperienced seal coating contractors or unscrupulous ones “over sell” seal coating to unsuspecting property owners / managers. Property owners rely on what they assume sometimes are professionals to guide them in making the proper buying decision. Because 90% of seal coating contractors fall into a category of sales people versus “pavement consultants”, when the property manager approaches them for honest straight-forward advice, the fear of losing the sales kicks in and they will sell the prospect on seal coating when they themselves know it will provide little value other than cosmetic enhancement of the asphalt, and most of the time that is short lived.

What Seal Coating WILL DO:

  • Either coal tar emulsion or petroleum based emulsion will protect an asphalt parking lot from gas & oil spillage, oxidation from the sun, deterioration from de-icing chemicals, waterproof the surface, help melt snow & ice faster and will beautify the pavement.   Important note: Asphalt Emulsion will not protect against gas & oil chemicals but will offer the other benefits afforded by coal tar and petroleum based emulsions.
  • When used as part of a preventative maintenance program, seal coating when first applied 3-12 months after asphalt installation and then every 2-3 years thereafter, if applied as per the manufacturers specifications (Proper water dilution, addition of a latex modifier & addition of silica sand for traction and durability) will extend the life of an asphalt parking lot by 20 years on average if completed in conjunction with a Preventative Maintenance Plan to include hot rubberized crack sealing and inspection of the parking lot on an annual basis to cure issues right away.  Far too many times seal coating is applied too late in the deterioration cycle and then does not provide the preventative maintenance benefits it is intended too.  With the amount of recycled asphalt in today's asphalt mixes, seal coating sooner then later is one way to guarantee your asphalt parking lot will last 20+ years.  Asphalt should be seal coated no sooner than 90 days after installation but no later than 12 months.   
  • Seal Coating will help melt ice and snow faster as the deep rich black color retain heat from the sun.
  • Seal Coating will make sweeping and cleaning the asphalt parking lot easier as it creates a smooth surface.

What Seal Coating WILL NOT DO:

  • When an asphalt parking lot is neglected for 10-15 years, is covered with cracks, alligator cracked areas, erosion of the fines from the asphalt leaving behind a rough surface with exposed stone, seal coating will provide NO structural value and will only be cosmetic. Seal coating a 15 year old neglected parking lot will look great for a photo on LoopNet or Co-Star, however, a discriminating property inspector that performs their due diligence will certainly ask for a concession for repaving.
  • Seal Coating will only add a few years of life to the asphalt at best for a deteriorated parking lot that has not been maintained.
  • Seal Coating will not level or fix low spots.
  • Seal Coating will not resurface asphalt, even though some seal coating products use the word “resurfacer.”
  • When seal coating is performed on asphalt where all the fines have eroded and the stone is now rough and protruding, the seal coat application will quickly wear off of the top of the stones in high traffic areas.
  • 1 coat of spray applied pavement sealer will not protect the asphalt as well as 2 coats.  Some contractors will tell you “they can apply the same amount of sealer in 1 pass instead of 2” or make claims such as “it is a 1 coat application and is being applied at the manufacturers recommendation of 70 sq ft per gallon” etc.  If you go to any seal coating products manufacturers website and look up their technical bulletins, they all recommend when spraying pavement sealer to apply 2 thin coats versus 1 thick coat.
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CLICK THE LOGO BELOW FOR A FREE SEAL COATING ESTIMATE OR PARKING LOT EVALUATION TO MAKE SURE YOUR LOT WILL BENEFIT FROM SEALCOATING

get a sealcoating price quote

We can evaluate your parking lot with an honest - professional assessment backed by 25+ years of experience on the current condition of your asphalt parking lot and help you make an informed buying decision on whether seal coating will or will NOT work for your property!

Seal_Coating_Company.jpeg

Leave a Comment