# Is driveway sealing worth it?



## Earl (Apr 5, 2016)

Everyone in my neighborhood is doing this. And they all hire some guys to do it, I haven't noticed anyone doing it themselves (even though it seems to be a simple job).

I did some googling and there is a lot of conflicting opinions about this, some say it's purely cosmetic and offers no other benefits, while others say it will make your driveway last longer. What do you guys think, is it worth doing? I should also mention my driveway is currently in great shape with no cracks. I have never sealed it but I don't know what the previous owner did.


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## 319905 (Mar 7, 2016)

Mine's asphalt, 2 cars by 3 cars, shaded, on 8" gravel over shale in '93, no worries ... but then asphalt isn't what it used to be ...


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## Prospector (Jul 25, 2014)

My opinion... It is helpful, but I can't say to what extent.

Asphalt is a liquid. It is a binder or cement that holds together a bajillion tiny pebbles. Over time the asphaltic cement cures and hardens; however, this is a very slow process. In the beginning, the asphalt is still able to flow and run and will rut and settle as the granular material under your driveway settles. It has good sealing properties, but as the car compacts the gravel below, the asphalt will flow into the recesses, and you may begin to see rutting, depending on the compaction rate of the gravel and the asphalt mix used to lay your driveway.

Eventually the asphaltic cement cures to a point that it loses some of its flow and begins to become brittle. As this happens, cracks will form in the driveway. the cracks retain water, allowing freeze/thaw cycles to further open up the cracks. Adding a driveway sealer will prevent the cracks from retaining water, and so will slow further cracking, but it will not treat the core issue of brittle asphalt. Different asphalt mixes will wear at different rates, but for the most part a municipal road will go about 20 years before being a candidate for repaving - barring settlement issues or poor installation. A driveway has a thinner layer of asphalt, generally poorer compaction of the gravel beneath, and less attention to drainage, but it also carries less moving loads.

So short version - driveway sealer slows cracks, but the cracks will still form once asphalt is no longer able to flex.


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

> So short version - driveway sealer slows cracks, but the cracks will still form once asphalt is no longer able to flex.


 this is also my impression  . My driveway 16+ years old with a lot of small cracks .... I seal it every year or 2 years ... i pay $60 or so for sealing... prefer to pay $60 than to do it myself


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## 1980z28 (Mar 4, 2010)

Earl said:


> Everyone in my neighborhood is doing this. And they all hire some guys to do it, I haven't noticed anyone doing it themselves (even though it seems to be a simple job).
> 
> I did some googling and there is a lot of conflicting opinions about this, some say it's purely cosmetic and offers no other benefits, while others say it will make your driveway last longer. What do you guys think, is it worth doing? I should also mention my driveway is currently in great shape with no cracks. I have never sealed it but I don't know what the previous owner did.


Good investment IMO
I reseal every 2 years,takes one weekend to complete,sure looks pretty ,,,driveway is 22X107,,have also done this with all homes I have owned,new house not paved driveway,,just gravel,,,2000 ft x 15 ft driveway it will stay gravel


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## RCB (Jan 11, 2014)

I've found that not sealing has allowed some erosion of the driveway surface where tenants' cars have leaked various fluids.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Not all sealants are created equal. Because of current environmental laws, many sealants are water based to provide low VOC. Do your homework before letting the guy that knocks on your door seal your driveway.

Part of our driveway is stamped asphalt painted brick colour to simulate brick paving. It has been down for a long time and has worked well. But it is in need of recoating. The company that did it originally will re do it, but it is expensive! Anyone know where to buy an asphalt coating paint (In Canada) that we could use to freshen the paving? Seem to be available in USA.

http://www.patternpaving.com/stampedasphaltcolors.html


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

As others have pointed out asphalt will dry out, crack, and also erode away especially a sloping driveway. Expect to repave every 20 - 25 years unless you seal it. The sealant will replace eroded material and keep the gravel in place and also slow the drying and hardening. A driveway that is coated regularly should last indefinitely.

I notice if I coat a worn driveway myself it takes a LOT more material when done with a roller, than when it is sprayed, especially if the surface is worn and rough. This suggests to me that doing by hand makes a better job but takes more material.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

Prospector said:


> My opinion... It is helpful, but I can't say to what extent.
> 
> Asphalt is a liquid. It is a binder or cement that holds together a bajillion tiny pebbles. Over time the asphaltic cement cures and hardens; however, this is a very slow process. In the beginning, the asphalt is still able to flow and run and will rut and settle as the granular material under your driveway settles. It has good sealing properties, but as the car compacts the gravel below, the asphalt will flow into the recesses, and you may begin to see rutting, depending on the compaction rate of the gravel and the asphalt mix used to lay your driveway.
> 
> ...


Great explanation.............thanks.


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

I do it every few years. Helps prolong driveway.


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## Earl (Apr 5, 2016)

Thanks for the opinions guys.

What do you think of concrete driveways? We had one when I was a kid. In fact, in the neighborhood I grew up in, I seem to remember most houses had concrete or brick driveways. But in my current neighborhood I don't see a single house with a concrete driveway, it's almost always asphalt and I saw one brick. I wonder why that is? Is it because concrete has gotten more expensive recently? Or is it just a case of one house doing something and then all the other houses copying that because they can't think for themselves?


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

Asphalt driveways have always been the less expensive choice.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

Concrete is more expensive.
That's why most roads are asphalt.


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## NorthKC (Apr 1, 2013)

Agreed. Concrete is always expensive and a pain to set up as you need to get consistency right as well as hoping for good weather but worth it if you plan to live in the same house for years. When my parents moved into the house 18 years ago, the concrete driveway that was there was apparently installed back in 1980. That driveway is still going strong with no cracks! 

Our two neighbours had asphalt driveways installed at same time about 15 years ago by the same company. One sealed it every 1-2 years, the other didn't. Take a guess at which one had to put in new asphalt last year...


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## Earl (Apr 5, 2016)

Yup concrete is more expensive, but it lasts longer and requires less maintenance so wouldn't it be cheaper in the long term? It also looks nicer. Also since it's a lighter color, spills and tire skid marks and stuff like that is more visible.

To me it seems really silly to spend 500k on a house, then try to save a measly amount by cheaping out on the driveway. It's called being penny wise and pound foolish.


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## Karlou (Aug 6, 2013)

There are so many products that can be used to seal its driveway. Acrylic, bitumen, coal tar. Is there a product better than the others?


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## Prospector (Jul 25, 2014)

Also, concrete can affect your taxes. If you look at your property lines, generally a large percentage of your driveway is on municipal land that you maintain. Beneath that portion of your driveway are pipes, wires, and assorted sundries that you never think about. If you cover them in asphalt, crew can dig it out with a backhoe and replace in kind. Similar with interlock, the bricks can be relaid. For concrete though, the driveway has to be saw cut, then a truck has to be brought in to re-pour the section that was cut out. because of this added cost, many municipalities will raise taxes or charge a fee on concrete driveways in order to discourage them.

Also without the flex of asphalt and the movement of interlock, concrete can break and become quite ugly surprisingly fast. Check your soils and be sure to have a good base under it, a proper mix, a skilled installer, and good weather to avoid a monolithic nightmare. Of course the larger the driveway the lower the probability of everything going right. This is not to say that a preference one way or the other really makes any difference. I mean, two tire ruts through a field serve many as a perfectly serviceable access.


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## Mortgage u/w (Feb 6, 2014)

I would choose uni-stone as opposed to concrete. The advantage of uni-stone is that any repairs needed to your driveway can be seamlessly and easily recovered by the same uni-stone. Asphalt or concrete will require its entire replacement unless you are willing to live with cut lines. Concrete can also crack - which you will have to either live with or pay to redo the whole thing again.

As for the asphalt sealer, I have used it purely for cosmetic purposes. Pitch black is always nicer that dull grey. Sure it may 'prolong' or 'protect' somewhat, who knows, but all things come to an end. Once you get 20-25 years out your driveway, chances are you'll want to replace it anyways.


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## DuanePhillips (May 19, 2017)

Yes, it is worth it.


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## MrsPartridge (May 15, 2016)

Those nice driveways with stone always look so pretty but just a bit of rain or snow and it's slippery like a skating rink. I'll stick with asphalt and reseal every 2 years or so.


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

It's weird how geographically dependent this is. Out here, nobody has asphalt driveways. Everyone is concrete.
When we lived in Ottawa, I remember leaving my bike on it's kickstand on the asphalt driveway in the summer. The kickstand would melt a hole in the asphalt from the heat and pressure.
Not a problem out here with the concrete. Probably more expensive up front, but lasts longer.


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## Mortgage u/w (Feb 6, 2014)

^ Where I'm from, it differs as close as the next neighborhood. The split overall I'd say is 50% uni-stone, 45% asphalt and 5% concrete. The neighborhood and home type will determine what is used. Single dwellings tend to prefer stone where multi-res prefer asphalt. As for the kick stands melting a hole - in my area, that only happens to those who use residential grade asphalt. Majority will use commercial grade. Commercial grade contains more rock, making its less smooth but more durable. Asphalt users eventually upgrade to uni-stone.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Mortgage u/w said:


> I would choose uni-stone as opposed to concrete. The advantage of uni-stone is that any repairs needed to your driveway can be seamlessly and easily recovered by the same uni-stone. Asphalt or concrete will require its entire replacement unless you are willing to live with cut lines. Concrete can also crack - which you will have to either live with or pay to redo the whole thing again.


In the Northern plains, concrete driveways are poured over concrete tubes that extend below the frost line. They never crack! My neighbor had his fill fall away, and the driveway stood its ground in the air! By comparison, asphalt is a temporary fix!


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

Out here, uni stone (i had to look up what that meant) would be an extremely rare luxury. There might be 100-200 houses in the entire city that have it.

Yes, the concrete cracks over time. If it sinks, there's many companies that can jack it up. I think they use expanding foam now rather than mud.

Just odd geographical differences. Everyone out here would be flabbergasted that people out east rent their hot water heaters at a rate high enough to pay for it every 3 years.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

uni-stone is just brick pavers, right? There are a decent mix of pavers, concrete and asphalt in the GTA. I would say concrete is the premium option (especially when done with some cosmetic touches like colouring/patterns).


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## like_to_retire (Oct 9, 2016)

nobleea said:


> Everyone out here would be flabbergasted that people out east rent their hot water heaters at a rate high enough to pay for it every 3 years.


*[hijack on]* Believe me, there are many easterners like myself who can't figure that one out either. Rent your waterheater - do you realize what that actually costs you? To me it would be like renting your stove or your fridge. *[/hijack off]*

ltr


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## Mortgage u/w (Feb 6, 2014)

nobleea said:


> Out here, uni stone (i had to look up what that meant) would be an extremely rare luxury. There might be 100-200 houses in the entire city that have it.


Its considered more luxurious than asphalt or concrete but we wouldn't consider it an extreme luxury. Maybe its due to the high demand and availability that the cost would be lower than elsewhere? I'm in Montreal by the way.

A typical cost is between $15 and $20 per square foot for a simple installation. Add retaining walls and staircases and the price jumps. By contrast, asphalt is $10 - $12 per square foot. A common trend is an asphalt and uni-stone combo. The perimeter is uni-stone and the center is asphalt.

Those who chose concrete will most always use stamped-cement which is not cheap.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

nobleea said:


> It's weird how geographically dependent this is. Out here, nobody has asphalt driveways. Everyone is concrete.
> When we lived in Ottawa, I remember leaving my bike on it's kickstand on the asphalt driveway in the summer. The kickstand would melt a hole in the asphalt from the heat and pressure ...


Yes ... my brother-in-law near Windsor insisted on concrete. Around the KW, Hamilton and St. Catharines area - only saw a day or two in decade the might come close to "hole" situation.

Isn't Ottawa supposed to be colder?


Cheers


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

nobleea said:


> Just odd geographical differences. Everyone out here would be flabbergasted that people out east rent their hot water heaters at a rate high enough to pay for it every 3 years.


Sometimes its due to geography and sometimes taxes, culture, group think, keeping up with the jones, societal normals

The standard driveway in Germany was interlocking brick, but they don't have to deal with as much scraping snow and salt. They redid the entire downtown with interlocking brick while I was there. Their standard new house is geothermal and solar so they would be flabbergasted that people still buy traditional hot water heaters

Motorbike kickstands will easily put a dent in hot asphalt. Thats why many riders carry a puck.. I just weld on a larger foot


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

I'm an easterner who agrees that it is insane to rent a water heater. Wait until you hear about people renting their furnaces and air conditioners. I mean, if you can't afford to maintain your home, maybe you shouldn't own it.


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## RCB (Jan 11, 2014)

My house is the only one in the neighbourhood that has a concrete paver (uni-stone?) driveway. Approx. 55' long, single, but double at the street, for a spot in front of the house. It was previously gravel, driven into the clay....wagon tracks. We priced out a concrete pour, asphalt, and concrete pavers. The pavers, pit run, gravel, and compactor rental came in the least expensive. We were already planning on doing a rear patio to replace a deck, a raised pond, and block raised beds, with a 10 x 20 gazebo. Ourselves. What's another week's work?

The nice thing about pavers is that you can use your own labour to avoid labour costs. That's an unlikely option with concrete, and definitely not an option with asphalt. Pavers, IMO, look the nicest, and as mentioned, can be removed and returned for any necessary work below. Re-levelling is a quick, cheap compactor rental, if necessary, with a bit of sand or stone dust if frost becomes an issue. 

Pavers also allow for relatively easy surface engineering to direct water where you wish it to go. Less than a year after we did our driveway, which wrapped around to form the patio, a city watermain broke in the middle of the night (winter), flooding our driveway. Because we had engineered for run-off or melt, the 6-8" of water flowed down our driveway, around to the back of the house, across the patio, and to the rear corner of our yard. It did flood our garage (previous owner built it below street level), but there was zero damage to our house because the water could easily escape.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

Rental water heaters started when they were a new thing, more expensive and less reliable than today. Imagine if a new water heater cost $5000 and required repairs every year or 2, but the electric company or gas company was willing to rent you one for $20 a month and fix it for free. The utility company was willing to rent them at cost or maybe less, in order to encourage the use of their services.

I don't know why anyone would rent them today other than force of habit, or contractors putting them in new homes because the first cost is cheaper.


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## mikep (Mar 13, 2017)

my old man used to seal the asphalt driveway every two years and it would crack.
then he got a new driveway (ripped it up, new gravel, new asphalt) and the company who did it told him not to seal it.
14 years later.. no cracks.
mind you it's not exactly black.. more like grey.. but no cracks.


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## Earl (Apr 5, 2016)

nobleea said:


> It's weird how geographically dependent this is. Out here, nobody has asphalt driveways. Everyone is concrete.
> When we lived in Ottawa, I remember leaving my bike on it's kickstand on the asphalt driveway in the summer. The kickstand would melt a hole in the asphalt from the heat and pressure.
> Not a problem out here with the concrete. Probably more expensive up front, but lasts longer.


Yeah and I just can't understand WHY it's so geographically dependent. In one town almost every house has an asphalt driveway and in another town almost every house has a concrete one.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

I'm just chiming in on the tail end of this thread...haven't read any of the posts...
But has anyone commented that it's not really "sealer", it really just a coat of "paint" ...?
I paint mine once a year....(with the cheap stuff from can. tire) takes couple of hours on a nice summer day. For rest of the year i've got as nice a lookin' driveway as any in the 'hood. BFD!


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