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Throughout the year, your driveway will share its life with UV rays, auto fluids, and snow shovels.
To ensure its durability and excellent condition, you must keep it seal-coated.
When is the best time to seal coat your driveway?
There are many things you must think about before applying asphalt sealant.
The best time to seal coat depends on your driveway or lot’s needs.
Keep reading as we will discuss when to seal coat a new driveway or one that has been in place for a while.
Table of Contents
Why must you seal coat your driveway?
Driveway seal coating allows you to protect your driveway and make it last longer.
It helps repel fluids, which is the leading cause of asphalt deterioration.
Salt, chemical products, UV rays, and oxygen, among others, cause corrosion and cracking.
Seal coating your driveway will prevent deterioration and damage. With seal coating, your driveway will require little to no maintenance.
Is there an optimal time to do seal coating?
Most homeowners prefer to apply a seal coat during summer. Summers are hot and dry. It is also a popular time to apply a coat since it is easier to work outdoors.
Before applying the sealer, determine the type of seal coat you want.
It will help you decide whether to use it in warmer or colder weather.
You must apply a weather-based sealer if the pavement is at least four degrees Celsius or warmer.
Because it contains water, it freezes faster than other sealants.
When weather-based sealer freezes, its properties change and damage can happen.
So they are rarely used in the winter.
In cooler weather, use a solvent-based seal coat.
These sealants work at any temperature.
Summer is also best since its weather help solidify sealants.
The experts from Luke’s Asphalt Paving can tell you how the calls for their services increase as the weather becomes warmer because the seal coat can cure faster.
If you look around this summer, you’ll see many driveways and parking lots being seal-coated.
Most people would not like to wait a whole day for sealants to dry out.
Also, warm temperatures and low humidity speed up the drying and curing of seal coats.
Weather Conditions
If possible, do seal coating when the sun is out as it will help warm and melt away the seal coat sealer’s liquids.
Picking a sunny day is as simple as knowing that there won’t be any rain or moisture for at least 24 hours.
Watch Out for Shade
When sealing your pavement, consider the amount of shade it will receive.
Direct sunlight dries sealer quicker than shaded areas.
Assume that from noon until dusk, a part of your driveway will be under some shade.
It’s not an issue, but it will slow down the drying time.
Consider sealing earlier in the day, so the shaded area dries faster before the shade arrives.
If the entire pavement is shaded, accept it.
This will only be in the morning.
You can wait when the sun turns, which starts at noon.
When should you seal a new asphalt driveway?
After getting yourself an asphalt driveway, the next step is to protect it.
Set aside a couple of hundred dollars extra to pay for the cost of sealing that driveway.
Don’t do this while your asphalt driveway is still new.
So, when should you seal a new asphalt driveway?
Wait at least three months or even nine months.
What weather is best for seal coating?
Applying a blacktop sealer is best when the temperature is above 10°Celsius.
Seal coating works best in warm sunny weather since it dries faster.
With cloudy skies and cool temperatures, your driveway would also take longer to cure.
Check the forecast before scheduling a seal coat.
In Ottawa, the hottest month is July. But, this kind of hot weather can go on until August.
When should you seal an older asphalt driveway?
If your asphalt is older, it isn’t too late to seal coat it.
Do it when temperatures are above 13°Celsius, and there are no rains in the forecast.
It will help if you do repair work for cracks, chips, and rough terrain beforehand.
Also, ensure to hose it down to remove any dirt, leaves, and sidewalk chalk, among others.
When should you seal a concrete driveway?
Since concrete dries faster than asphalt, you must be able to seal it in about a month.
Once more, look for temperatures above 13°Celsius and avoid the rain. An old concrete driveway could still enjoy seal coating.
Make sure you clean and repair it first.
Driveway seal coating allows you to protect your driveway and make it last longer.
Seal-coated driveways repel water, which is the leading cause of asphalt deterioration.
So, if you are planning to sealcoat your driveway, look for the top-rated driveway sealing company near you.
Ask family, friends, and neighbors which one they trust most.
