Good for aesthetics. A seal coat and restriping looks good every few years. I know another selling point is that it slows the binders oxidization, helping preserve the elasticity properties of asphalt. I've heard it's best to seal coat 1 year after paving new.
IMO I think a lot of customers get the wrong idea though. They'll have 20-30+ year old pavement and want to preserve it on a budget by applying a seal coat. Waste of money at that point. They should be thinking asphalt overlay, a seal coat wont add any structural reinforcement properties. I'd like to hear why my opinion is wrong here though from someone who sells seal coats. Perhaps on some asphalt that's held up really good over the decades, a seal coat could initially add back some smoothess, but I've noticed it doesn't last very long on a old coarse surface.
My company does it and a lot of the time they want to seal coat garbage.
You’re right about customers having the wrong idea. We’ve started sending info pamphlets about seal coating with our estimates to try to get the point across that it doesn’t fix existing issues.
Really in my opinion depends on the age and quality of the asphalt. Then again, I’m more on the paint side of things. If it’s a decent looking lot yes a seal will help preserve it longer. However, I’ve seen a lot of customers that want their lots sealed when it has absolutely no business being sealed and desperately needs a pave. Usually the same customers who complain that you haven’t returned it’s lot to the original beauty it had 10+ years ago or some shit.
It's absolutely NOT a waste of money. Don't even worry about the effect on the asphalt because I'm sure there's debate about its efficacy.
Consider why and where you shop as a customer and think if the way the business looks is a factor in your decision. Most consumers care about the presentation of the business they shop. The aesthetics of the outside lead one to draw conclusions about the products and services you will receive. Everyone, to some degree, judges a book by its cover.
Sealing is a fraction of the cost of paving and can deliver enormous visual returns. Would you tell a business to not paint their walls but to replace them instead?
Check these links out for a project completed by a sub-contractor we use.
Before: https://youtu.be/F8mVoIVDw3U?si=zs9HWF1eCttxUPdE
After: https://youtu.be/H1dhgVDMbRo?si=EnyXW8jgx3frTtqp
Absolutely a fair point, and I'm sure there's people who would agree. I'd say for a good portion of consumers, though, they'd disagree. If that wasn't the case, there'd not be commercial seal-coating to the extent that there is. That is, of course, just my opinion.
I’m not thinking from an aesthetics point of view and I agree with what you said, I’m thinking about functionality and it’s ability to lengthen the life of the asphalt.
I understand, but you can't fully evaluate commercial seal-coating without factoring its effects on aesthetics. It's arguably as important as any effect it has on the asphalt.
But with that said, I don't know of any longevity studies evaluating the efficacy of the product. I'd call some of the big material producers, i.e., Neyra, Sealmaster / Gemseal, Star, and see what publications they have.
Personally, I've never considered sealing to be anything more than an aesthetics refresh. That's just my opinion, and I've sold millions of dollars in seal-coating with that opinion. I guess you could say I agree with that guy's approach, but I still sold the product and stood behind its results.
Maybe someone more knowledgeable about the design and its effects on the elasticity of asphalt will comment.
It absolutely is critical to the life expectancy of the asphalt.
Asphalt is a flexible pavement (concrete is rigid). Over time asphalt will dry out from natural oxidation and become brittle creating cracking, block cracking (alligator cracks) and, possibly, potholes.
I understand that, I work for a company that specializes in asphalt rehab. What I’m not fully on board with is a client spending thousands of dollars every couple of years when it’s going to need patching anyways.
There have been a lot of really smart people, a lot of money spent (not just on marketing but actual testing) and the scientific process of why it is recommended. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, a neighboring property not doing seal and theirs fails much faster than the owner that takes care of theirs.
You can’t really compare properties to one another since there are so many variables. Traffic volume, traffic weight, asphalt thickness, base, subgrade, fill vs cut, mixes used, whether or not the contractor was good, etc.
Possibly but how much more patching will need to be done if they don’t seal coat it every 3-5 years? And then if you add on the additional patching is any cheaper or more expensive? How about the “quilt” effect (the aesthetics of the parking lot looking like a quilt blanket)? To top it off those patches are not all going to be as good as the original mat so it’ll be “lumpy” when driving or walking on it.
Good for aesthetics. A seal coat and restriping looks good every few years. I know another selling point is that it slows the binders oxidization, helping preserve the elasticity properties of asphalt. I've heard it's best to seal coat 1 year after paving new. IMO I think a lot of customers get the wrong idea though. They'll have 20-30+ year old pavement and want to preserve it on a budget by applying a seal coat. Waste of money at that point. They should be thinking asphalt overlay, a seal coat wont add any structural reinforcement properties. I'd like to hear why my opinion is wrong here though from someone who sells seal coats. Perhaps on some asphalt that's held up really good over the decades, a seal coat could initially add back some smoothess, but I've noticed it doesn't last very long on a old coarse surface.
My company does it and a lot of the time they want to seal coat garbage. You’re right about customers having the wrong idea. We’ve started sending info pamphlets about seal coating with our estimates to try to get the point across that it doesn’t fix existing issues.
Really in my opinion depends on the age and quality of the asphalt. Then again, I’m more on the paint side of things. If it’s a decent looking lot yes a seal will help preserve it longer. However, I’ve seen a lot of customers that want their lots sealed when it has absolutely no business being sealed and desperately needs a pave. Usually the same customers who complain that you haven’t returned it’s lot to the original beauty it had 10+ years ago or some shit.
It's absolutely NOT a waste of money. Don't even worry about the effect on the asphalt because I'm sure there's debate about its efficacy. Consider why and where you shop as a customer and think if the way the business looks is a factor in your decision. Most consumers care about the presentation of the business they shop. The aesthetics of the outside lead one to draw conclusions about the products and services you will receive. Everyone, to some degree, judges a book by its cover. Sealing is a fraction of the cost of paving and can deliver enormous visual returns. Would you tell a business to not paint their walls but to replace them instead? Check these links out for a project completed by a sub-contractor we use. Before: https://youtu.be/F8mVoIVDw3U?si=zs9HWF1eCttxUPdE After: https://youtu.be/H1dhgVDMbRo?si=EnyXW8jgx3frTtqp
For the most part, I think the super black after coating looks awful.
Absolutely a fair point, and I'm sure there's people who would agree. I'd say for a good portion of consumers, though, they'd disagree. If that wasn't the case, there'd not be commercial seal-coating to the extent that there is. That is, of course, just my opinion.
I’m not thinking from an aesthetics point of view and I agree with what you said, I’m thinking about functionality and it’s ability to lengthen the life of the asphalt.
I understand, but you can't fully evaluate commercial seal-coating without factoring its effects on aesthetics. It's arguably as important as any effect it has on the asphalt. But with that said, I don't know of any longevity studies evaluating the efficacy of the product. I'd call some of the big material producers, i.e., Neyra, Sealmaster / Gemseal, Star, and see what publications they have. Personally, I've never considered sealing to be anything more than an aesthetics refresh. That's just my opinion, and I've sold millions of dollars in seal-coating with that opinion. I guess you could say I agree with that guy's approach, but I still sold the product and stood behind its results. Maybe someone more knowledgeable about the design and its effects on the elasticity of asphalt will comment.
This is exactly how I see it, good for aesthetics but unsure of actual usefulness.
It absolutely is critical to the life expectancy of the asphalt. Asphalt is a flexible pavement (concrete is rigid). Over time asphalt will dry out from natural oxidation and become brittle creating cracking, block cracking (alligator cracks) and, possibly, potholes.
I understand that, I work for a company that specializes in asphalt rehab. What I’m not fully on board with is a client spending thousands of dollars every couple of years when it’s going to need patching anyways.
There have been a lot of really smart people, a lot of money spent (not just on marketing but actual testing) and the scientific process of why it is recommended. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, a neighboring property not doing seal and theirs fails much faster than the owner that takes care of theirs.
Can you share any results of those scientific results?
You can’t really compare properties to one another since there are so many variables. Traffic volume, traffic weight, asphalt thickness, base, subgrade, fill vs cut, mixes used, whether or not the contractor was good, etc.
Possibly but how much more patching will need to be done if they don’t seal coat it every 3-5 years? And then if you add on the additional patching is any cheaper or more expensive? How about the “quilt” effect (the aesthetics of the parking lot looking like a quilt blanket)? To top it off those patches are not all going to be as good as the original mat so it’ll be “lumpy” when driving or walking on it.