What Is The Best Season for Sealcoating?

If you have an asphalt pavement, professionals recommend that you sealcoat it regularly to preserve its appearance and protect it from the elements. However, sealcoating isn’t an all-year-round job. In this post, we shall discuss the best time for sealcoating your asphalt pavement so that you can get the best results. Read on for more information. 

But first,

Why sealcoat your asphalt pavement?

Sealcoating an asphalt pavement involves the application of asphalt sealer. This process is done for a number of reasons, which include:

• Allowing the asphalt pavement to retain moisture to prevent it from deteriorating
• Blocking the harmful UV rays which damage an asphalt paved surface
• Restoring the rich-back asphalt color
• Creating a strong barrier against leaks from automobiles, as they tend to soften asphalt
• Filling the small cracks on the asphalt surface to prevent water from seeping in. 

Besides, asphalt sealcoating helps to smoothen out the small crevices and dips on asphalt pavement, thus giving it a beautiful appearance. 

When should sealcoat your asphalt pavement?

One thing to note when planning to sealcoat your asphalt pavement is: never seal your asphalt driveway or parking lot immediately after its installation. Most people believe that sealcoating brand new asphalt pavement helps it to retain that rich, black color.

However, that’s not the case. Sealcoating a freshly installed asphalt pavement creates a barrier, which prevents excess moisture on the surface from evaporating. This, in turn, leads to a softer asphalt surface, which is more susceptible to chipping and cracking. So, it’s always a good thing to let your asphalt cure—for around 18 months before applying a sealant. 

Another thing that you should never forget when sealcoating your asphalt pavement is ensuring that your cars are not in the garage—unless you don’t intend to use them for a few days. This is because you will need to let your pavement cure, and no traffic should be allowed to access the pavement during this period. 

So, which is the best season for sealcoating?

One might ask, why should I be concerned by the season that I want to sealcoat my asphalt driveway? Well, the season that you choose to sealcoat your asphalt driveway will dictate the weather condition during the project, 

Now, the weather condition plays a major role in determining how perfectly the sealant will adhere to your pavement, as well as how quickly the sealant cures and dries. With that said, any sealcoating project required optimal weather conditions for it to be successful. That is, you need to factor in the humidity, precipitation, sunlight, and temperature on the day you want to sealcoat your pavement. 

Also, the surface temperature of your asphalt pavement makes a big difference. So, understanding how every condition affects your asphalt sealcoating project will allow you to schedule your project for the best results.

With that said, you should note that the best season to sealcoat an asphalt pavement is Spring, as it presents the perfect weather conditions for sealcoating. While some people prefer to sealcoat their asphalt pavements during the summer, the weather conditions aren’t perfect for asphalt sealcoating. 

Typically, the summer season has extremely hot temperatures and heavy rains, which can be detrimental to your project. The early spring temperatures, on the other hand, can be a bit cold for a sealcoating project. The water present in your surface can freeze during the night, which can lead to additional problems. 

In the Spring season, particularly in May, the temperatures are warm during the day and cool at night. Now, this presents the ideal condition for the sealant to cure without any problems. Besides, the humidity levels during this season are very low, which helps the curing process. If sealcoating doesn’t cure fully, there’s a high chance that it will fail prematurely. And, that’s the reason why most asphalt sealcoating contractors recommend spring for an asphalt sealcoating project. 

While fall also has the ideal conditions for sealcoating, there’s a lot of debris blowing in the air, which presents a serious problem for a sealcoating project. Besides, there’s a chance that you will get a better deal for your project during the Spring season.

To help you get the best results for your sealcoating project, here is a checklist to help you identify the best time for sealcoating:

• It should be during Spring, particularly May
• The temperatures should be above 55 degrees F
• Sunny day and the area should receive direct sunlight
• Wind speed should be below 10 MPH
• There shouldn’t be rain forecasted within the next 48 hours
• The humidity levels should be below 60%

How long does it take for sealcoating to dry?

The experts from CSG Sealcoating, Orlando say that it takes an average of 24 – 48 hours for a freshly sealed surface to dry. However, you should understand that the drying time depends on the weather conditions of that day. The following are the major factors that determine how long it will take for your pavement to dry completely:

• Temperature
• Shade
• Precipitation
• Humidity

However, you should never forget that patience is important for a strong sealcoat, which will protect your asphalt pavement, and make it last for the longest time possible.