Protecting Your Calgary Driveway: The Importance Of Sealcoating
Driveways in Calgary go through a lot: Snow, rain, vehicle traffic, sweltering heat, and freezing cold – sometimes in a single day. When properly installed, an asphalt driveway can handle a lot of strain, but to get the most out of your driveway, you should consider sealcoating.
Sealcoating improves longevity by protecting your driveway; it also improves the look of your property. In this article, we cover what sealcoating is, how it works, when you should do it, and why it’s essential for Calgary homeowners – among other things. Let’s dive right in!
What Is Driveway Sealcoating And How Does It Work?
Driveway sealcoating is the process of adding a protective layer, known as a sealcoat, onto an asphalt driveway. Sealcoats are made of four different parts:
- The binder (itself a type of asphalt)
- Fillers and aggregates (like sand, dust, and clay)
- Water
- Additives (to help drying, improve flexibility, and more)
These ingredients are similar to the ingredients found in regular asphalt pavement, with one crucial difference: The aggregates. Instead of using large aggregates like gravel, sealcoating uses incredibly thin aggregates; this allows the sealcoat to fill all of the small voids and pores within a driveway.
The result? A new layer of jet-black asphalt that absorbs UV rays and pressure while repelling water and taking the brunt of chemical spills. You can think of sealcoating as a sacrificial layer; instead of your pavement taking damage, the sealcoating does. A sealed driveway is more beautiful and more resistant to the elements.
Top Benefits Of Sealcoating Your Calgary Driveway
Protection Against Harsh Alberta Weather
Calgary can get a lot of sun, and UV rays slowly degrade asphalt from rich black to chalky grey. That degradation isn’t just in colour; it affects the overall structural integrity of your asphalt.
Sealcoating helps prevent that degradation; it also acts as a moisture barrier, preventing water from infiltrating into the pavement below. As an added bonus, as discussed above, it can protect your driveway from chemical spills as a sacrificial (much more affordable) layer.
Prevents Costly Repairs From Freeze-Thaw Cycles
Asphalt driveways are porous; this means that water can infiltrate into the pores of your asphalt. When it does, it can freeze when the weather cools, and thaw when it heats up – something that can happen several times over the course of a day here in Calgary.
This causes the pores in your asphalt to expand and contract; as they do, small cracks and holes can begin to form. This leaves more room for water to infiltrate, which amplifies the effect of the freeze-thaw cycle; the end result is a driveway covered in cracks and potholes.
Sealcoating helps prevent this by clogging all of the pores in your driveway. This is the biggest advantage of using small aggregates like clay and dust; asphalt can make its way into every pore, sealing it. That’s why it’s called sealcoating!
Enhanced Curb Appeal & Property Value
We’ve described asphalt sealcoating as looking jet-black; it’s a startling, deep, beautiful, black. The look of sealcoating is incredible; it’s a great way to refresh your driveway if you want to sell your property, or if you want to enjoy looking out your front window even more than you already do.
How Calgary’s Climate Makes Sealcoating Essential
Calgary’s climate is about as seasonal as it gets – we even have miniature seasons in the middle of our seasons. Chinooks can increase the temperature by 20°C to 30°C in just a few hours, only to have them drop back down in no time flat. That exaggerates the freeze-thaw cycle dramatically, which makes sealcoating extremely valuable.
Calgary is also one of the sunniest cities in Canada, with a little over 332 days of sun on average each year. It’s one of the things that makes our city such a beautiful place to live; it also means our driveways are exposed to a lot of UV rays.
Cost Savings: Sealcoating Vs. Driveway Replacement In Calgary
Sealcoating generally costs less than $0.50 per square foot; on a 600-foot driveway, that means you’re looking at around $300 for sealcoating.
Compare that to the price of a new driveway, which can easily be anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000, depending on the size of your driveway.
Sealcoating won’t last forever; it typically only lasts for 2 to 5 years. It’s also not perfect at protecting a driveway, but it will extend the life of your driveway. Even if it only extends the life of your driveway by a year, that’s one more year that you won’t have to pay thousands of dollars for a new driveway.
Realistically, repeated sealcoatings can increase the lifespan of your driveway for more than a year; in our minds, the math is simple. In Calgary, sealcoating is worth the cost.
When Should You Sealcoat Your Driveway In Calgary?
There are a few times when it’s a good idea to sealcoat your driveway:
- When it’s fully cured after first being installed (usually after about 90 days)
- After repairs
- Every 2 to 4 years after the last sealcoat (sooner if your driveway gets a lot of traffic)
- If your driveway is looking grey
Typically, it’s best to sealcoat asphalt in the fall, before winter weather wears it down; fall also has less precipitation than spring, and you don’t want to install sealcoating in the rain. Spring isn’t a bad time to sealcoat, though – the temperatures are just right, and it’s before the summer’s intense UV radiation can start causing your asphalt to fade and deteriorate.
Sealing your driveway is more complicated in the summer; heat can make the driveway very difficult, as curing becomes a challenge. In the winter, sealing your driveway is almost impossible; freezing temperatures make the sealcoat cure too slowly, and snow makes accessing your driveway a real challenge.
Invest In Your Calgary Driveway’s Future With Professional Sealcoating
Sealcoating is well worth the investment in any city – that goes double for Calgary. Looking for sealcoating in Calgary? We can help. We offer sealcoating for residential customers in Calgary; contact us today!