Browse through some of most frequently asked questions regarding our residential sealcoating program below.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why sealcoat?
- What is the price of sealcoating?
- What about the cracks?
- What about oil stains?
- How is the sealcoat applied?
- How do I pay for the driveway sealing?
- After sealcoating, when can I park on my driveway?
- How do I approve the work? When can you schedule my driveway?
- If the schedule date changes, how will I know?
- What time will the crew arrive?
- What about the U.S. Pavement Services / 1-800-DRIVEWAY signs?
- What do I need to do to prepare for sealcoat?
- Does U.S. Pavement Services repair broken asphalt?
- When is the best time of year to sealcoat?
- How can I prevent sealcoat from getting on my fence, wall, or stone walkway?
- If sealcoat gets on my grass, will sealcoat harm my lawn?
- When I park on my driveway, why do tire marks appear?
- Sometimes the sealcoat dries grey or brown. Why does this happen?
- Why do the edges of the driveway appear different?
The pavement of asphalt driveways are made up of stones, fine sands, and asphalt binder. The binder acts as the glue to hold all of these aggregates together and provides the pavement with the rich, black color.
However, over time, the binder begins to oxidize with exposure to sun, rain, snow, and other elements – this is shown by the pavement color fading to gray. As the asphalt oxidizes, it becomes less flexible and cracks more easily with loads (such as cars) and with weather changes (such as freezing). Combine this deterioration with exposure to harmful chemicals, like motor oil, landscaping or household chemicals, and your driveway won’t stand a chance.
To prevent the harm caused by leaving your pavement unprotected, sealcoat is applied to “seal” out the sun’s UV rays, rain, snow, and harmful chemicals. In fact, studies have shown that maintaining pavement with sealcoat prolongs the life of your driveway and will prevent the need to repair or replace it for many years.
What is the price of sealcoating?
As your house and driveway are unique, each driveway sealing price is different. Based on the size and condition of your driveway, we use our unit pricing model to give you the most fair and competitive price possible.
When you call 1-800-DRIVEWAY or email your request for a free estimate, we immediately assign an estimator who will provide pricing in 3 to 5 business days. The estimator will measure and evaluate your driveway, leaving a quote and package on your door. In many cases, special discounted pricing is available including neighborhood discounts if we perform several driveways in one neighborhood at the same time.
Cracks are an invitation to moisture and harmful chemicals to seep into the pavement’s base and ruin your driveway. As this moisture expands and freezes, the pavement will break and the driveway will fail. To prevent this, we install a high-quality, hot applied crack and joint sealant to your cracks before sealcoating. Although this crackfill is visible, the sealed cracks prevents moisture for causing further damage. The crackfilling is included with the sealcoat price.
To eliminate oil stains from your driveway, we apply an oil spot primer which is brushed onto the stain to prevent it from eating through the new layer of sealcoat. Unfortunately, not all stains can be completely removed, but this primer usually eliminates normal oil stains.
As the leader in the asphalt maintenance industry, U.S. Pavement Services crews can spray or squeegee apply the sealcoat to your driveway. In our experience, spray application provides a more uniform, neat look and wears more evenly over time. Nonetheless, please feel free to request squeegee application when you request a free estimate at 1-800-DRIVEWAY.
How do I pay for the driveway sealing?
U.S. Pavement Services accepts checks, money orders, and all major credit cards. Payment can be left the day of service or pre-payment can be made thtough our office. We do not accept cash.
After sealcoating, when can I park on my driveway?
Dry times for sealcoat depend greatly on the exposure to the sun and temperatures. In most cases, you can walk and drive on the driveway within 24 hours after sealcoating. If you have any questions, please call our office at 1-800-DRIVEWAY to avoid any issues.
How do I approve the work? When can you schedule my driveway?
To approve the work, please sign the estimate and fax or mail it back to us for prompt scheduling. U.S. Pavement Services operates sealcoat crews throughout New England and can find a time to suit you, depending on your needs. Our scheduling coordinator will contact you within a week to discuss scheduling and confirm dates with you to ensure the process goes smoothly. Please keep in mind that all schedule dates are weather permitting.
If the schedule date changes, how will I know?
U.S. Pavement Services keeps staff on call 24-hours per day to focus on customer service. If weather or other variables affect your schedule date, one of our dedicated scheduling coordinators will contact you to discuss alternate dates. If you have any questions, please call 1-800-DRIVEWAY.
What time will the crew arrive?
Driveway sealing depends greatly on driveway size and condition. Because our crews are performing sealcoating on several driveways per day, it is difficult to determine when they will arrive at your driveway. However, please feel free to call 1-800-DRIVEWAY to get an update of the crew’s progress to help gauge their arrival time.
What about the U.S. Pavement Services / 1-800-DRIVEWAY signs?
One of the most inexpensive, effective ways to advertise for U.S. Pavement Services is the job sign. Leaving these signs up means we can keep our costs down, which we pass along to you in our competitive pricing. Please leave these signs up as long as you like, and we appreciate your cooperation in showing off our work and your driveway.
What do I need to do to prepare for sealcoat?
The only thing we need from you as a customer is to clear your driveway of all vehicles, equipment, dumpsters, and other things. We do not need you to clean or prepare the driveway in any way. We clean and prepare the driveway for sealing when we arrive. We offer power cleaning services at an additional charge.
Does U.S. Pavement Services repair broken asphalt?
We do not perform driveway pavement repairs as this is not recommended. We do, however, offer driveway paving in certain geographic areas of New England.
When is the best time of year to sealcoat?
Sealcoating must be performed when the temperature is about 55 degrees over night. This means that the best time to sealcoat is between the months of April and October.
How can I prevent sealcoat from getting on my fence, wall, or stone walkway?
U.S. Pavement Services crews are professionals, some with 20 years experience; they take precautions, including tarps and shields, to prevent sealcoat from overspraying on your property. However, as the material is sprayed, there are some cases in which overspray occurs. In these cases, please call 1-800-DRIVEWAY and we will dispatch someone to fix the issue.
If sealcoat gets on my grass, will sealcoat harm my lawn?
Occasionally sealcoat could overspray slightly onto the lawn. The sealer will not harm the grass; a mowing will get rid of the sealer.
When I park on my driveway, why do tire marks appear?
Because the sealcoat takes time to fully cure, tire marks sometimes appear 1 to 2 weeks after the sealcoat is applied, especially during humid summer months. After the sealcoat cures, the tire marks will disappear.
Sometimes the sealcoat dries grey or brown. Why does this happen?
Like any sprayed or liquid-based coating, the sun helps sealcoat dry. In areas of shade, such as under a tree, the sealcoat may dry differently than the rest of the driveway. Over time, the sealcoat will dry to a uniform appearance and color.
Why do the edges of the driveway appear different?
In order to avoid overspray and provide the neatest job possible, we sealcoat the edges of your driveway by hand, especially around garages and walls, as these areas must be brushed to avoid overspray. Over time, the appearance will become uniform and the difference will not be noticeable.