Asphalt Sealant: Oil Based or Water Based?

Applying asphalt sealant is important to prolong the look of your asphalt driveway or if you are working on projects like major highways. Due to different weather conditions, asphalt can crack and crumble. The sun’s heat can cause the asphalt to oxidize and during the winter months, the cold temperatures can damage it due to freezing water. Rainwater can also damage your asphalt that why is why it is important to seal asphalt to prevent this and maintain its structure. Asphalt sealant can be bought in bulk or just enough to repair or seal your driveway. But what type of asphalt sealant to use? These are two main types. Oil based and water based. Both have its benefits but you must choose well based on your needs.

Asphalt-Based Sealers

Asphalt-based sealers are oil based and have the quality of putting back components to your asphalt that are lost due to everyday exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun and weather, such as rain and snow. Asphalt is known to be a byproduct left over when oil has been refined to gasoline. These types of sealers have additives that increase their resistance to gas leaks from vehicles or oil spills. Unsealed asphalt will be dissolved by these compounds. Other additives such as coal tar and polymers are added to these oil based sealers.

Coal tar-based sealers are water-based and may contain latex, polymers and clay. It is similar to oil based sealers but is more known to be more resistant to oil and gas spills when compared to oil based sealers. This is why asphalt that is water based is used in major highways and freeways because these big roads have heavy traffic that will often times have gas or oil leaks and since it is very expensive to maintain the look of these highways, water based asphalt sealants are used to help prevent early damage and ensure maintenance is not required for at least 5 years.

Appearance

The difference is in the appearance. Water based asphalt sealants have a smoother finish and are easier to clean up compared to oil based ones. Water based sealants stay on top of the asphalt and do not really penetrate the asphalt. The problem with asphalt-based sealant is they will eventually dissolve when exposed to gasoline or oil and must have additional mixed polymers to be able to keep them durable.

In essence, one must choose a type of sealant that will have more solids left over when the solvents have evaporated and cured. This is one way you can tell that the product is high in quality. Also take into consideration the length of warranty. 5 years or so would be best.