Recommendation for driveway sealant

I want to seal my driveway that was paved a little over a year ago.. What sealant would be good from Home Depot or Lowes that will last.. I have a 3100 sq ft driveway. How many bucket would I need. Would I have to put down two coats? Could I wait a few days after repairing cracks to seal if I clean the surface again? Thanks for reading my post.

 

Usually the higher the price of the blacktop sealer the better the quality is. You want the asphalt to be dry and somewhat clean. It should say on the bucket label how far a gallon goes.

 

To add to Marksr, you do not want to add a second coat. One coat per year.

 

I thought because it is a new driveway it would suck up a lot of the sealer and would need two coats. So it won't need it?
Is there a brand at home depot or lowes that other here have used and like it? I'm checking out the negative reviews on these sealant and the main complaint is flaking, peeling, not lasting as long as claimed, and tire marks showing after waiting several days to drive on it..

 

Newer asphalt takes less sealer than old dried out asphalt. Driveways that get sealed every few yrs take less sealer than old driveways that have never been sealed or haven't been sealed in a long time. Just like painting - proper prep goes a long way. Flaking/peeling of the sealer is likely related to improper prep/application.

 

Having had asphalt driveways in the last 4 homes (which I greatly prefer over my current cement driveway) the statement regarding the best product is absolute.

Just pick up a 5 gallon can of the cheap matl vs the top end, that weight difference is the emulsions in the can, that is what ends up on the driveway.

For the most part sealers are pretty much the same but if doing it yourself the small cost of the better matl makes a big difference.

Tire marks are just part of the ownership, if you are not moving and turn your wheels it will grind the coating off!

Ive also learned, a 24" squeegee for applying with a big brush to get the edges worked best for me!

 

My method of operation is to do it in the fall (for winter protection). Night before clean driveway, using a wide brush paint perimeter. Next morning, early, while the driveway is still cool, using a squeegee or roller, coat the whole drive. By noon time it's available to walk-on. By evening you can drive on it. Spreading it in the cool of the morning makes it much easier (not like trying to spread glue), and much easier on the back. Plus you have the rest of the day to do what you want.
I use the middle of the road material. I find the "airport" grade to be too rough. The cheap stuff to watery.

 

What type of brush should I use? A scrub brush with a handle be okay?

 

Something more along the line as a wall paper paste brush.

 

I use an old wide paint brush. About 8".

 

I was checking out some videos and see that some did one coat while another did two. How will I know whether or not I need one or two coats?

 

I'm not sure it's ever advantageous to apply 2 coats.

 

All I can say is over a 25 years and 4 driveways I'v only done single coat, but if you want to do 2 go for it, it's not going to hurt anything!

 

It might. I think you'll see peeling and layering.

 

I have had pretty good luck with this stuff sold at HD, "Latex-ite 4.75 Gal. Sand-Mix Driveway Coating."
It's priced fairly and I put it on with a push broom. I add a quart or so of playground sand in each bucket for a little better traction on my sloped drive. Don't waste your money on anything from ACE, it is complete garbage and peels up in a couple of months. Are you sure it's not too soon to seal your drive?

 

I've always heard you need to let the asphalt weather for 1 yr before you seal it so it should be fine to seal it now.

 

Wellsir ... I got the driveway sealed. For the 3100 sq ft of driveway. I bought 13 buckets. It took almost 15 buckets and I figured for 300 sq ft per bucket, but it was much lower than that. I ran out of material and had to order more because the store was out.
I made sure the driveway was as clean as I could get it before I started sealing. I applied as thin a coat as I could. I started at 07:30 to 16:30 when I ran out.

I am getting the tire marks. I waited a week before driving on it. Where I stop the car before backing it up, I am seeing marks and patches were it looks like some of the sealant came up. Weeks after applying the sealing a large truck delivered a shed and it made huge track marks. Even made divots in the asphalt where it stopped. I had to patch it and I retouch the areas with the bad tire marks and patches. That took another bucket, and what I had left when I finish the second leg of the driveway. I will wait another week before driving on it.

One of the worst part of this job was getting the lids off the buckets, They would not budge even lifting that heavy bucket the lid would not come off. I spend half and hour trying to get the lid off. I had to use my wheel cutter to cut the lids off. That was a real pain.

I figure no matter what I do I am going to get those tire marks ... it is what it is. There is suppose to be a 10 year warranty, but I doubt they will honor it. They will probably said I prep and applied it wrong. I doubt this sealer will last 10 years.

Anyway ... I got her done.

 

What brand and grade did you buy and how did you apply it (roller, brush or squeegee)?

I have never had tire marks. I drive on mine within 24 hours of application.

Sounds like you applied a thick layer. Any idea of how old this material was or if it may have been subject to a freeze? You should not have had any pooling or dips. You should've seen drying taking place where you started by the time you were finished.

Did you mix it very well, using a drill and heavy duty mixer? You must get all the tar emulsion off the lower part of the bucket. The water will rise to the top when in storage. The lids should pry off without difficulty. This stuff should be freshly made for the summer seasons.

If this sealer was left over from last year, it may have been left outside to freeze. I'd complain to the store. Before going to the manger, ask an associate where the sealer is stored that does not get sold during the summer months.

 

There are little holes around the edge of the bucket lid. Stick a knife in the hole and cut down. Once all of those are cut it's easy to pull the lid off. The bucket lid can be put back on and it will still seal reasonably well, it just won't handle getting tossed around well.

 

Norm I use a squeegee to apply the material. I assure you I did not apply a thick layer ... it was quite thin. There was no pooling or drips. This is what I used ...
Sealer

I mixed it as well as I could. I had a metal stir for a drill, but I didn't have a drill big enough to use it. I didn't get all the sealant out of the buckets it was stuck down there.

Nope didn't work that was marksr ... I had to do some serious cutting to get those lids off.

 

It sounds like the sealer was old. The entire bucket should have been mixed up. When the some of the sealer is at the bottom and won't mix up the bucket should be returned.
You must be doing something wrong removing the lids - I've opened over a thousand 5 gallon buckets and never had that much trouble.

 

When the sealer is properly mixed it will flow like water with no residue left at the bottom.
Although the stuff you had may have been old, normally it won't spoil if left in dark non-freezing area. I've had partially used buckets for 2 to 3 years that mixed just fine.

 

Marksr ... I don't have that upper body strength you men have ... I'm just an old woman in comfortable shoes. I couldn't spend half and hour to remove one top when I had 13 at the time. So I did it the quickest way I knew how. I guess it was old ... I did turn the buckets over one to two days before applying it. But it's like I said ... it is what it is. At least the driveway has some kind of protection. I doubt it will last the 10 years though.

 

I've never seen any asphalt sealer hold up for 10 yrs, 2-5 yrs is the norm.
I've never felt the need for one but maybe one of these would help you -https://www.lowes.com/pd/QLT-by-Mars...ner/1000204333

 

Yes, they make opening the drums much eaiser.

 

Wow ... I wish I had known about that before. I will definitely get one. Thanks for the link