Ask Jon Eakes

Last Updated: Monday, May 10th, 2010, Created: Wednesday, April 9th, 2008

Weather Restrictions: Asphalt Emulsion Sealer for Asphalt Driveways

. WEATHER & RENOVATION is a joint project of: CTV.ca and JonEakes.com designed to help you plan home improvement projects around weather restrictions. If you have just been checking the weather for your project on the CTV web site -- welcome to JonEakes.com where you will find all the details for your home improvements. If you started here and are looking for weather restrictions related to home improvements, follow this link to CTV.ca where you can get your local weather forecast together with weather restrictions for specific products  on the bottom of the page.

********************************

Sealers for asphalt driveways can give a new appearance to a driveway but at the same time begin a maintenance cycle of re-sealing every few years. One of the preparation requirements for all driveway coatings is to clean the surface first so I would recommend starting with one non-solvent bio-degradable oil cleaner that works wonders on asphalt as well as concrete and paving stones -- OIL-LIFT. You may decide that it comes clean enough that you don't want to apply a sealer at all. Now I have to admit that I simply don't like asphalt emulsion sealers for asphalt driveways partially because they don't last as long and partially because they pick up on toys, balls and shoe soles when it is hot inside -- leaving tracks throughout the house. I recommend you skip right to ACRYLIC SEALERS FOR ASPHALT DRIVEWAYS Prior to applying a sealer you must repair any cracks. Click here for information on CRACK SEALER FOR ASPHALT DRIVEWAYS. One important detail is that most sealers require up to 90 days cure time for the crack fillers before applying the sealer over the top -- so plan your project early in the summer or you may run out of good weather before getting to the sealer. Another interesting detail is that asphalt driveway sealers actually need 3 hours of UV exposure to cure -- so simply waiting 24 hours is not good enough if the sun didn't shine for at least 3 hours. Keep the cars off until you get both 24 hours and 3 hours of sunshine -- or even more if required by a particular product. Car tires are hot and heavy and can easily damage what looks like a nice finish. For details on using sealers see DRIVEWAY SEALERS.

Keywords: Asphalt, Cracks, Damage, Driveway, Filler, Finishes, Joints, Maintenance, Paving, Products, Renovation, Repair, Sealer, Tire, Weather

Print Send To A Friend

Article 2136

Privacy | Ruby on Rails Development by Isnor Creative