Seal coat is the first step in maintaining your asphalt and extending its life cycle. One of the benefits of seal coat is its fresh dark black finish that aesthetically improves the overall image of your property or community. But, be warned, that material is meant to wear away. Re-applying seal coat too often can cause more problems in the long run. Over Seal Coating is a real issue but can easily be avoided with some patience.GuardTop, generally recommends seal coating every 3-4 years. This timeline, in most situations, gives the sealer enough time to wear away while still filling the voids of the asphalt. Many times, customers begin to see what we call in the industry, “rock shine”. Rock shine is a sign that seal coat has begun to wear off the tops of the rocks in the asphalt, leaving small white dots. This does not necessarily mean that the material is prematurely failing or not doing its job. There is usually still plenty of material in-between the rocks protecting it from water penetration, so do not panic.When you over seal coat, the material can develop pre-mature check cracking and “pop off”. By “pop off” we mean, that the new material adheres to the older seal coat, which causes the bond to weaken and begin to “pop off” the asphalt, taking the new seal coat layer with it. It is very similar to what happens when you over paint your red fire lane curbs. The old paint begins to pop off the new paint. It isn’t a problem with the new product that has been applied, it is the old product not having the proper amount of time to wear away. If you are unsure if your asphalt is ready for seal coat, reach out to GuardTop and we can set up an asphalt evaluation.[ARForms id=100]
