SealCOATING Extends Pavement Life

Quality sealcoating makes a high impact boost to pavement life. Sealcoat blends by nature are black, often requiring a restriping of a parking lot after the sealcoat job is complete. Besides giving the surface a fresh black coat, most sealcoats provide a protective barrier against many of the elements that overall erode the longevity of pavement, such as UV blockers. As pavement naturally ages, the oxidation process equates to the polymers within the aggregate binder that looks their strength in function, meaning the pavement can be less flexible, less durable, and more susceptible to water penetration and eventually leading a path towards pavement failure. Higher quality sealcoating materials include minerals, and polymers rejuvenators, that in addition to a fresh black pavement, include pavement getting a boost to its essential polymer elements.
BEnefits of Sealcoating
- Pavement Protection from mother nature (UV rays, rain, and wintery mixes and freeze/thaw cycles)
- Pavement protection against automotive fluids, oils and spills
- Increased strength, durability and flexibility, helping to reduce cracks
- Curb appeal
- Increased pavement life and lower repair costs
- Accelerated snow and ice melting
- Protection against cleaning, pressure washing, or chemicals
Asphalt Emulsion Sealcoats vs Coal Tar Sealer

Coal Tar Sealer:
Coal Tar historically was the preferred and standard in asphalt sealing. Coal Tar sealer is made from coal tar, which has been shown to contain high amounts of PAHs, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, i.e., a health risk to people if exposed to it and its harmful to the environment. Asside from the health and environmental risks, coal tar was and still is today an effective product for the job of asphalt sealing. The advancements in asphalt emulsion and education of both customers and contractors today, coal tar sealer has rightly dropped in its demand. The advantages of coal tar sealer vs a high quality asphalt emulsion are worth noting: coal tar sealer does create a harder coating than asphalt emulsion and its more resistant to automotive fluid stains. Since coal tar sealer bonds with the asphalt pavement, the chemical difference between the makeup of both substances (asphalt and coal tar) leads to a non-uniform expansion and contraction during freezing and thawing cycles, thus coal tar being a reason asphalt can crack overtime.
Asphalt Emulsion Sealcoat:
As a category, Asphalt Emulsion has been a great advancement in asphalt pavement preservation, and from an environmental and human health perspective, it is a welcomed alternative. Asphalt emulsion does not have the same long lasting odor as coal tar sealer. PaveGuard uses high quality asphalt emulsion based sealcoating products that dry fast, are environmentally friendly without the odor and health risks associated with coal tar. PaveGuard's sealcoat options start with products that provide a deep rich black surface as an end result, and provide a variety of polymers, minerals and other additives that help extend the life of your pavement. PaveGuard also uses sealcoats made by high quality manufacturers who are able to prove batch to batch the consistency in quality, so that performance in application does not vary job to job.
Coal Tar historically was the preferred and standard in asphalt sealing. Coal Tar sealer is made from coal tar, which has been shown to contain high amounts of PAHs, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, i.e., a health risk to people if exposed to it and its harmful to the environment. Asside from the health and environmental risks, coal tar was and still is today an effective product for the job of asphalt sealing. The advancements in asphalt emulsion and education of both customers and contractors today, coal tar sealer has rightly dropped in its demand. The advantages of coal tar sealer vs a high quality asphalt emulsion are worth noting: coal tar sealer does create a harder coating than asphalt emulsion and its more resistant to automotive fluid stains. Since coal tar sealer bonds with the asphalt pavement, the chemical difference between the makeup of both substances (asphalt and coal tar) leads to a non-uniform expansion and contraction during freezing and thawing cycles, thus coal tar being a reason asphalt can crack overtime.
Asphalt Emulsion Sealcoat:
As a category, Asphalt Emulsion has been a great advancement in asphalt pavement preservation, and from an environmental and human health perspective, it is a welcomed alternative. Asphalt emulsion does not have the same long lasting odor as coal tar sealer. PaveGuard uses high quality asphalt emulsion based sealcoating products that dry fast, are environmentally friendly without the odor and health risks associated with coal tar. PaveGuard's sealcoat options start with products that provide a deep rich black surface as an end result, and provide a variety of polymers, minerals and other additives that help extend the life of your pavement. PaveGuard also uses sealcoats made by high quality manufacturers who are able to prove batch to batch the consistency in quality, so that performance in application does not vary job to job.
Essential Tip: PreParing the surface
Parking lots are notorious for debris collection. Bits of sand, loosened aggregate in the asphalt, dirt, silt, and dust all collect on the surface or embed into the pavement. If the dirt isn't fully cleaned away from the surface prior to application, the sealcoat will not bond appropriately with the pavement. As the pavement owner, you want your contractor to clean the surface. PaveGuard uses pavement cleaning as one of many best practices to provide a top caliber sealcoating service. When the sealcoat is given a clean surface to bond to in its method of application, your pavement in turn will last long as the sealcoat can do what its designed to do.
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FogSeals vs Sealcoating Vs Slurries VS Chip Seals and More
Pavement terminology does vary on a geographical basis. Manufacturers, contractors, and regional nomenclature will sometimes interchange words and descriptions or argue why they're not equivalent. It really depends on the definition is two things are similar or different. Some professionals say cracksealing is the same as crack filling -- At PaveGuard we do delineate one from the other. Likewise, we do categorize "sealcoats" into the following categories:
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Methods of Application
Most sealcoats can be applied through traditional brushes, squeegees, sprayers, & foggers. The manufacturer will specify which recommended application tool is should be used with the product. Some directions include using a squeegee first for a first coat and a second coat being a spray coat. A good contractor or sealcoat pro should know the difference.
If you're looking for Safety Data Sheet information on particular products, please check our website for available information or contact your PaveGuard Pro