The Basics of Seal Coat
Seal Coating is a thin coat application applied to aged asphalt. There are two main features of this product. First, the sealer restores the wearing course. The oils in the sealer penetrate the existing asphalt, replacing the original petroleum lost through oxidation. We also mix our sealer with silica sand, so the sand will help fill in small voids where stones have come loose, and also fill in small spots where the wearing course has started to deteriorate. Deterioration is a natural part of the life cycle of bituminous asphalt; the sun’s ultraviolet rays oxidize the asphalt, causing the binder course to lose its resiliency. This results in the formation of cracks and potholes. It is important to note that sealer will not completely fill all cracks or holes in the asphalt; rather it acts as a binder to retard further deterioration. When sealer is applied, the sealer itself becomes the wear surface thereby reducing the wear experienced by the asphalt surface below. The sealer is a durable product but does not take the place of a resurface.
