asphalt driveway overlay vs resealer

[mikef]

my driveway is around 20yrs old and as near as i can tell has never been treated. Its getting pitted and showing it. Any advice on an overlay vs resealing? my thought is that its a little late for sealer. My budget says its a little too much$ for an overlay?
i think its around 1500 sqft

 

[guywhofishes]

I'd buy a premium sealer at Menards (they have like 3-4 grades) and do it by the book. (proper prep, porper application)

I think you'd be surprised at how good it looks and how well sealed it is. It's a worthwhile experiment to run IMO.

It's actually an interesting/enjoyable project IF you buy $30 worth of the right tools and just throw them away rather than try to salvage them when you're done. Some of the sealers clean up w soap/water so even re-using decent tools is easy to make happen.

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as with anything - if you half-ass it, the result will piss you off

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then again - if you've got a huge driveway - that would blow regardless

 

[MuskyManiac]

I used Sealbest 800 last time and was happy with the way it turned out. Mine is a little too rough to spread it with a squeegee, so I used a very thick paint roller. Before and after pics.

 

[mikef]

MM, one coat or 2? thx

 

[Captain Ahab]

my driveway is around 20yrs old and as near as i can tell has never been treated. Its getting pitted and showing it. Any advice on an overlay vs resealing? my thought is that its a little late for sealer. My budget says its a little too much$ for an overlay?
i think its around 1500 sqft

I used to do sealcoating. Take some pics of it and I can tell you if it's worth trying to seal. An overlay, if you can find somebody readily available, will probably vary from $2-$4 a square. Probably on the higher side due to small size. That's if an overlay is possible.

If you try sealcoating, you will want to go with the heavy grade stuff containing a lot of silica sand.

 

[Kurtr]

We do chip seal , seal coating and asphalt. The shit from menards is garbage. If doing it your self look into star seal products. If it’s to bad to just seal you could chip it and breath some life back into it. Should be able to get that done for 4 or 5 dollars a square

 

[guywhofishes]

those old school "coal tar" based sealers are indeed rugged - but you better be damn careful with that #### - they're chock full of cancer nasties - like liquid cancer sticks - worse as far as total weight percent nasties

ask me how I know

once they form a true hard tar they're "OK" but the cancer nasties can still run off the driveway and build up in nearby soils/ponds

I'm anything but a tree hugger - but that shit I respect big time

kurtr - try to keep skin contact with that crap to an absolute minimum - the second it touches you "zooop"... into the skin these bastards go

 

[Captain Ahab]

those old school "coal tar" based sealers are indeed rugged - but you better be damn careful with that #### - they're chock full of cancer nasties - like liquid cancer sticks - worse as far as total weight percent nasties

ask me how I know

once they form a true hard tar they're "OK" but the cancer nasties can still run off the driveway and build up in nearby soils/ponds

I'm anything but a tree hugger - but that shit I respect big time

kurtr - try to keep skin contact with that crap to an absolute minimum - the second it touches you "zooop"... into the skin these bastards go

That was the "good stuff" back in the day. I sprayed thousands of gallons of it. Asphalt emulsion just wasn't as hardy. Plus I think people felt they got what they payed for with the "coal tar stink". I got covered in "Gilsonite" one time when my experimental pump system blew a hose. Man that was bad. Had to clean up with diesel fuel and Goo Gone type stuff. I ended up getting fatigue sick after that episode. I'm sure my body was not in favor of all the toxins that went through the skin. It was a true Mike Rowe Dirty Job, but it payed for most of my college.

 

[mikef]

I’m

I used to do sealcoating. Take some pics of it and I can tell you if it's worth trying to seal. An overlay, if you can find somebody readily available, will probably vary from $2-$4 a square. Probably on the higher side due to small size. That's if an overlay is possible.

If you try sealcoating, you will want to go with the heavy grade stuff containing a lot of silica sand.

turns out idk how to upload pics in a reply��

 

[guywhofishes]

frick - that was a bad deal Capn

they’re photosensitive too - skin contact plus sunlight will cause some people light up (blisters, etc)

they’re called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by the way

 

[MuskyManiac]

MM, one coat or 2? thx

That was one coat.

 

[LBrandt]

I just mow mine or spray with Round-Up.

 

[skywalker]

I've been filling cracks and sealing my driveway or 20 years. It is some work, but my driveway it pretty big so it becomes a family project. This year we decided that we are going to have it done by a pro. My 2,705 square foot driveway will be overlaid. They will put down a 2 inch lift, which consists of about 40 tons of asphalt. I called a couple of local companies and only 1 even called me back. Another said twice that she would have someone contact me. That was 6 weeks ago. I'm hoping that the cost($5,000) will make me feel it is worth it. Only down side is that they are booked until the middle of July.

 

[guywhofishes]

they will show up at worst possible time

with hail in the forecast

 

[Kurtr]

I've been filling cracks and sealing my driveway or 20 years. It is some work, but my driveway it pretty big so it becomes a family project. This year we decided that we are going to have it done by a pro. My 2,705 square foot driveway will be overlaid. They will put down a 2 inch lift, which consists of about 40 tons of asphalt. I called a couple of local companies and only 1 even called me back. Another said twice that she would have someone contact me. That was 6 weeks ago. I'm hoping that the cost($5,000) will make me feel it is worth it. Only down side is that they are booked until the middle of July.

125.00 a ton is a great price on driveway paving.

 

[Captain Ahab]

frick - that was a bad deal Capn

they’re photosensitive too - skin contact plus sunlight will cause some people light up (blisters, etc)

they’re called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by the way

The coal tar emulsion would “mistify” while spraying on those hot, dry days. Man, my eyes would burn something fierce.

 

[mikef]

I've been filling cracks and sealing my driveway or 20 years. It is some work, but my driveway it pretty big so it becomes a family project. This year we decided that we are going to have it done by a pro. My 2,705 square foot driveway will be overlaid. They will put down a 2 inch lift, which consists of about 40 tons of asphalt. I called a couple of local companies and only 1 even called me back. Another said twice that she would have someone contact me. That was 6 weeks ago. I'm hoping that the cost($5,000) will make me feel it is worth it. Only down side is that they are booked until the middle of July.

This would be year 3 of trying to get an overlay quote so I think I’ll just seal it up myself

 

[guywhofishes]

The coal tar emulsion would “mistify” while spraying on those hot, dry days. Man, my eyes would burn something fierce.

gaaaa!!!

 

[skywalker]

125.00 a ton is a great price on driveway paving.

Kurt, that is what I thought. I have seen some of their work in the neighborhood and it seems better than the group from Oklahoma that visits our development every summer looking for work.

 

[Captain Ahab]

Kurt, that is what I thought. I have seen some of their work in the neighborhood and it seems better than the group from Oklahoma that visits our development every summer looking for work.

The Oklahoma group are likely the "gypsies". You can get work out of them, but you have to watch them like a hawk. I watched them run out of sealer on one job by Devils Lake. Nobody had the stuff in DL so they thinned out roofing tar with mineral spirits and sprayed that down. Quite the bunch.