What Is Asphalt Sealcoating and Why Is It Important?

Asphalt sealcoating is often sold as a cure-all, which leads to disappointment when it doesn't resurface a failing driveway. Understanding what sealcoating is — and isn't — helps you use it well.

What sealcoating is

Sealcoating applies a protective coating over a clean, sound asphalt surface. It's a maintenance treatment: it refreshes appearance and adds a protective film that helps the surface resist the things that age it.

What it protects against

In Barbados, asphalt faces sun, moisture and constant traffic. Sealcoating helps by:

• Reducing UV damage that dries out and brittles the asphalt binder.
• Limiting water intrusion into the surface and beneath it.
• Helping resist oil and fluid stains from vehicles.
• Restoring a fresh, dark, uniform appearance.

What sealcoating doesn't do

Sealcoating is not structural repair. It won't rebuild pavement that has rutted, alligatored or failed, and it won't fix the underlying cause of widespread cracking. Where the asphalt has deteriorated, resurfacing or structural repair comes first — and we'll say so rather than sealing over a problem.

When to sealcoat

Sealcoat when the asphalt is sound but showing its age — faded colour, minor surface wear, light cracking that's been treated. New asphalt should be allowed to cure before its first sealcoat. Done at the right time, sealcoating extends the life of a sound surface and keeps it looking well maintained.