Frequently Asked Questions About Asphalt Sealcoat: 

1. Is asphalt sealcoat all the same for roads and parking lots?

In this post, we will mainly go over what Cofield Asphalt Refinishing uses. There are several forms of sealcoat.  There are different approaches when handling road ways versus parking lots. Cofield Asphalt Refinishing ONLY handles parking lots so again this will only cover our scope of work.

2. What is sealcoat or sealcoating?

Sealcoating is used to properly maintain asphalt. This maintenance helps replace the wearing surface and oils back into the pavement that are stripped out through rain, traffic, sunlight, etc. (ie. how you have to replace the oils back into cast iron skillets…pretty much the same concept).

3. When and how often do you need to seal coat?

The answer to this question is vague. IT DEPENDS!!! It depends on how much sunlight your parking lot gets, is some of it in the shade or direct sunlight, do you get a lot of traffic, does your area get a lot of rain? All of these are good variables to look at when deciding how often to get your parking lot sealcoated.

Generally people are advised to get their parking lots sealcoated every 2-5 years. Some companies advise longer but this is our recommendation. Some people seal every year just to make sure their wear surface stays in good shape. So again it depends.

4. What does it mean when when you know you need sealcoat but cracks are forming as well?

When parking lots start to see cracks this is a late sign of  needing asphalt sealcoating. At that point crack sealing is needed to keep water from doing further damage to your asphalt. In this scenario, crackseal and the seal work together to make a water resistant surface. (cracksealing will be covered in a later Blog.)

Expectations of Asphalt Sealcoat:

5. What do I need to expect when needing sealcoat services?

We have people come to us wanting quotes for parking lots that are in pretty rough conditions. Sealcoat can only help to a certain point. When the wearing surface is still intact, we can still sealcoat. If you have a pot hole or two, we can still sealcoat. If your parking lot has accumulated cracks that are bigger than your hand across (that’s a crater)…. This is where we would advise an asphalt contractor to come in and get you prices for the different options available to you.

The National Asphalt Pavement has a lot of good information on asphalt and why it is good to actually seal your lot versus waiting to overlay. They have articles that cover how innovation into our industry is actually helping recycle goods like tires that many thought were not recyclable.

If you have any additional questions about asphalt sealcoat, please add them in the comments and we may just have to find an answer for you!