Five Mistakes You May See From a Sealcoating Contractor
Periodic applications of a high-quality sealant can often more than double the life of an asphalt pavement. Sealants help your pavement resist damage from the sun, salt, water, automotive fluids, and other enemies of asphalt. However, sealcoats must be correctly mixed and professionally applied to deliver the desired results. Here are five points you should consider to determine whether a sealcoating contractor has the knowledge, integrity, and ability to handle the job properly.
Did the Sealcoating Contractor Send You a Contract to Sign Without Visiting Your Site?
Experienced contractors know approximately how many square feet of pavement a gallon of asphalt sealcoating will cover, so they may be able to give you a quote for just the sealant over the phone. However, there are many other factors that can affect your total cost, and the contractor must see your pavement before making an accurate, firm quote. For example, when quoting a parking lot sealcoating job, the contractor needs to know about landscaping islands and other obstacles that may require special attention. If you need parking lot repair, the contractor needs to know how many cracks or potholes are involved, what caused them, and how severe they are. The contractor also needs to see whether there are heavily shaded areas in which the sealcoating will need extra time to cure or the use of an additive.
Did the Parking Lot Maintenance Contractor Tell You That the Sealant Will Repair Pavement Cracks?
If there are tiny hairline cracks on the surface of your pavement, a sealant will usually hide them. However, sealants cannot repair any cracks that are more substantial. Asphalt sealcoating is frequently referred to as asphalt sealing, and this leads some people to confuse it with asphalt crack sealing.
How Frequently Did the Sealcoating Contractor Recommend That You Repeat the Procedure?
Although there are exceptions, Treasure Coast asphalt sealcoating contractors typically recommend an application about every two years. An extremely busy parking lot may need an annual application, but this is usually limited to the areas that receive the most traffic. Contractors who tell customers that they should reapply a sealant every three to six months are inept, dishonest, or misinformed. Too much sealcoating is not a good thing; the sealant will not cure properly, and it will not bond properly. This means that the fresh parking lot sealcoat can be washed away by the first heavy rain, or it can cling to tires and shoes and be tracked onto other pavements, inside your building, or onto your sidewalk.
Does the Contractor Claim to Have a Proprietary Recipe for Mixing the Sealant?
To be blunt, there is no such thing as a secret formula for a sealant mix. The companies that manufacture asphalt sealcoating specify the exact amount of water and sand that should be added to their concentrated product for application. They even provide instructions for incorporating an additive. Furthermore, they do not lock their recipes away in a vault, so anyone can easily find the precise mix formula online.
Did Your Parking Lot Maintenance Contractor Tell You That the Weather Does Not Matter?
Just like the mix formula, sealant manufacturers specify the conditions under which their products can be successfully applied. Although there are some minor variations in some of the conditions, there are two that are absolutely required. First, it cannot rain during the application or for the next 24 hours. Second, the temperature must remain above 50 degrees during the application and for the next 24 hours. Sealants are finicky products that need adequate weather conditions to cure properly. Along the Treasure Coast, conditions can change quickly. This means that contractors must sometimes reschedule jobs to ensure quality results. Experienced, reputable parking lot maintenance contractors will never tell you that the weather is inconsequential, that they guarantee to apply your sealant two weeks from tomorrow, or that they can sealcoat your pavement in the rain.
For a Company You Can Trust, Contact Asphalt Care Services
Our family-owned, family-operated company has been caring for asphalt pavements in the Treasure Coast area since 1993. We specialize in asphalt maintenance for residential and commercial clients throughout the region. Our services include asphalt repairs, parking lot striping, asphalt sealcoating, traffic sign installation, thermoplastic line striping, speed bump installation, parking lot maintenance, and concrete bumper block installation. We have earned our exemplary reputation by consistently delivering work of the highest quality at reasonable prices. For a free quote, send an email to [email protected], submit the online request form, or call 772-888-2840.
