Sealcoating 101: Part 1

One of our most sought-after services at Black Diamond Paving & Concrete is sealcoating. Have you ever heard the expression “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?” Well, in the case of asphalt maintenance, a gallon of prevention (sealcoat) is worth a ton of cure (asphalt).

For the next few months, our Love2Pave blog articles will focus on everything you need to bring you up to speed on the sealcoating process. Part 1 dives right on into the basics, answering the question:

What is Pavement Sealer?

Property owners and managers should regularly seek bids to sealcoat their asphalt pavement—whether that pavement is in a parking lot, trailer park, homeowners association…basically any pavement that experiences relatively low traffic volume. Asphalt pavement will last for years if it’s maintained properly and in a timely manner, and regular sealcoating is an essential element of that pavement maintenance process.

But what is it you’re asking to have done? What exactly is being applied to your pavement?

Pavement sealer is liquid in which the primary ingredient is asphalt emulsion, a byproduct of the oil-refining process. The asphalt emulsion is combined with water and minerals (in particle size) to give the material heft and fill minor surface defects. In some cases, special additives can be used to help the sealer dry quicker or darker.

Each sealer producer has its own “recipe” for its sealer, but all asphalt emulsion sealer is manufactured according to industry specifications. Black Diamond Paving studies the various sealer materials available and then establishes a relationship with a sealer producer to supply us with their product. This assures consistency, which means the sealer we apply to your pavement is the same from batch to batch. That’s important—especially on large jobs—because it provides not only consistent protection for your pavement, but consistent color throughout the job, too!

Keep an eye on this blog—or contact your Black Diamond sales rep—to learn the specific benefits of sealcoating. But in the meanwhile, rest assured that regular application of a quality pavement sealer will extend the life of your pavement investment.