Besides making your pavement look brand new again, pavement sealer protects asphalt pavements from the destructive elements of weather, gas, oil, antifreeze, and many other chemicals that could damage the paved surface.

No; pavement sealer will not fill depressions or holes in the asphalt pavement.  These types of repairs should be performed in advance using hot asphalt pavement?

Asphalt pavements should be sealcoated every one to three years.  The amount of traffic is the deciding factor.  Surfaces that receive light traffic like home driveways require recoating less frequently then parking lots receiving moderate to heavy traffic.

No; pavement sealer will not make the surface slippery.  We use a sand-slurry mix of pavement sealer.  Silica sand is mixed in with our pavement sealer at a rate of three pounds of sand per gallon of pavement sealer, resulting in a non-slip surface. Not all contractors use this type of mix, so be sure to ask.

All brands of pavement sealer are definitely not equal!  We have used several local brands of pavement sealer.  Some were adequate; some were not.  In 2001 we purchased our own bulk storage tank so that we could obtain pavement sealer from anywhere in the country without being restricted to the local brands that many other contractors are using today.  In 2001, we took delivery of our first load of SealMaster pavement sealer, and found it to be far superior to anything that we had used previously.

 

Feel free to visit the following links for more information:

www.sealmaster.net 

Pavement sealer can be applied either by hand, spraying or squeegee.  We usually apply the pavement sealer by hand (using a nylon brush applicator) on smaller areas such as home driveways.  Spraying of pavement sealer is usually reserved for larger, open areas such as parking lots and roadways.  Either method will result in a quality, long lasting coating, when done properly. Shamrock also offers the option of having the sealer applied by a squeegee machine at extra cost.

No; pavement sealer will not permanently adhere to concrete or cement surfaces.

One coating of pavement sealer is more than sufficient for the average home driveway.  Two coatings of pavement sealer are recommended on most parking lots receiving moderate or heavy traffic.  A third coating of pavement sealer is recommended on parking lot entrances and roadways where excessive wear occurs due to constant turning and excessive use.

Pavement sealer will not adhere to oil stains unless the stain is first burned or treated with an oil spot sealant.  We always include burning and/or treating oil stains on the pavement surface before applying pavement sealer.

Scuffing of the newly sealcoated surface may occur on very hot days when the temperature rises above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.  Scuffing is normal and temporary, usually occurring within the first month after the sealcoating has been applied.  The best way to minimize scuffing is to prevent sharp turns when driving a vehicle on the surface.

Newly paved asphalt surfaces should not be sealcoated until they have had sufficient time to cure. Curing allows the excess oils that are always present in new asphalt pavements to diminish through a process called oxidation.  This process can take as little as 30 days or as much as 90 days depending on the percentage of oil present in the new pavement.  We usually recommend that a new asphalt pavement be allowed to go through one winter season before sealcoating.  This ensures that the surface will be properly cured when pavement sealer is applied.

We can repair these holes with hot asphalt pavement.  Small pothole repairs in home driveways can usually be accomplished at a minimal cost.  More extensive asphalt repairs may require paving.

No; pavement sealer will not fill cracks in the pavement.  Crack repairs must be performed before the sealcoating is applied.

Hot pour crack filler is a flexible, rubber-like product that is used to repair cracks in asphalt pavements.  It starts out as a solid, rubber block or cube which is melted down in a special kettle. Once melted, the crack filler is applied over cracks in the asphalt pavement as a flat strip.

Hot pour crack filler is applied hot.  It then cools to a pliable, rubber like consistency allowing it to expand and contract with the crack.  Cold pour crack filler can be a water or asphalt based product that is applied to cracks in liquid form and then dries to a solid.  Cold pour crack fillers may not perform as well as hot pour crack fillers due to their lack of flexibility when dried, but cold pour also has a smaller chance of being messy due to its ability to harden.

After it has been applied and allowed to cool, hot pour crack filler is supposed to remain flexible.  If you press it with your finger it will flex.  If you park on it with your car tires, it will temporarily retain the tread pattern.  This is normal for this type of material.

Pavement sealer can be applied to hot pour crack filler almost immediately!  Hot pour crack filler usually cools enough to apply sealcoating within 5 minutes of being applied to the ground.

Hot pour crack filler can sometimes pull up as a result of parking directly on it with the hot tires of a car that has just come to rest after prolonged driving at highway speeds.  The hot tires can re-heat the crack filler, which then re-cools, adhering to the tire.  When the vehicle is later moved, a small portion of the hot pour crack filler pulls up and away with the tire.  Although this is a rare occurrence, there is not much that can be done to prevent it except to attempt not to park directly on the hot pour crack filler while the tires of your vehicle are still hot.

Yes; we can replace your existing line striping layout exactly where it was before sealcoating.

Yes, we can change your line striping layout if you wish.  This will require that the old lines be painted over with a traffic blackout paint to prevent them from bleeding through as the pavement sealer wears.  A word of caution: the old layout will most likely still be discernable as a dark, shadow-like outline under the sealcoating.

Standard paint colors are traffic yellow and traffic white.  We usually replace the same color lines that were originally present, but you may change from white to yellow, or vice versa at no extra charge.

The only type of paint that should be applied over newly sealcoated surfaces is water based or waterborne traffic paints.  These types of paints can be applied to fresh pavement sealer without the usual discoloration associated with oil and chlorinated rubber based traffic paints.

Pavement sealer should only be applied when the surface temperature is 50 degrees and rising. Water should be kept from entering onto the newly sealcoated surface until it has had time to completely dry; therefore obtaining an accurate weather forecast is essential.

We take full responsibility for obtaining an accurate weather forecast.  If the forecast is unfavorable, we will call you to re-schedule for another day.  Furthermore, if the forecast turns out to be incorrect and your coating is damaged by rainfall before it has had time to completely dry, we will repair any damaged areas or re-coat the entire area at NO EXTRA CHARGE!!

There are many different ways to plan work on a business parking area.  Much depends on the size of the area and the number of access points available to enter the building.  We will consult with you and develop a plan that meets your satisfaction.

The larger the work area, the more likely it is that we could perform the work in separate sections.

Yes; we do schedule work on weekends and holidays.  Minimal disruption of your business operations is a major priority.  We realize that weekends and holidays may be the only times when you can close your parking area in order to give us access.

We can usually have your parking lot re-opened to traffic the day after work is completed, weather permitting.  Foot traffic can usually be permitted within a few hours of application of pavement sealer, depending on the drying conditions that exist on the day that work is performed.

Yes; we will provide traffic cones and barricade tape to ensure that the work area is properly blocked off.

Parking areas that receive moderate to heavy traffic should receive two coats of pavement sealer. Sometimes a third coat of pavement sealer is necessary on entrances and traffic lanes where excessive turning and use take place.

If oil, gasoline, anti-freeze, or any other petroleum product or chemical should leak onto your newly sealcoated surface, the best way to treat it is to apply a quantity of speedy dry, cat litter, or even dry sand to the stain in order to absorb it.  Work the material into the stain with a broom and scoop it up with a shovel for proper disposal.  Although you will most likely be left with a stain on the driveway, the sealcoating will protect the underlying asphalt pavement from damage.

There are a few preparations that you should make before our arrival on your property.

• move all vehicles at least 50 feet from the work area
• turn off automatic sprinklers the night before our arrival
• the pavement must be completely dry
• keep all pets on leash or in the house
• notify family members to keep off pavement
• notify potential guests to keep off pavement
• re-schedule landscapers, etc. to a different day
• re-schedule deliveries to a different day

After we have finished applying the pavement sealer we will tie off the entrance to your pavement with barricade tape.  Keep the items in the previous FAQ in mind and keep vehicles off the pavement for 24 hours. Foot traffic can resume approx.  1 hour after the pavement sealer has dried. You will be able to tell when it is dry as the color changes from brown (when wet) to black (when dry).

The amount of time it takes for pavement sealer to completely dry depends on the temperature and humidity conditions.  The drying time can be as little as 30 minutes under warm, dry conditions or as long as several hours in cool temperatures with high humidity.  We usually recommend staying off a newly sealcoating surface for 24 hours.

It is not necessary for you to stay home on the day that work is scheduled.  Just be sure that there are no vehicles, etc. left on the work surface and that any automatic sprinklers are deactivated the night before work is scheduled, as mentioned before.  We will perform the work as stated on our contract and we will tie barricade tape across the entrance of the newly coated area when finished.

If you have questions you can check the frequently asked question list. If you do not find the answer there feel free to call us at 614-299-9540. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have.