To seal or not to seal? That is the question. (New Pavement)
 

Well instead of buying a new truck, buying a new low profile/lightweight curtainside body for our delivery truck or buying a new E63 AMG Estate we got this:
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...ankee/Lot1.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...ankee/Lot2.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...ankee/Lot3.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...ankee/Lot5.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...ankee/Lot6.jpg

55,000 sq.ft. of virgin asphalt. My question is, after giving it time to set up and cure, is it better to seal it or just leave it alone? The last paving job lasted 30 years and it was pretty skimpy compared to what we just did. There have been some heated discussions as to whether sealing it will lengthen its lifespan. We are going to seal the spot where our delivery trucks park to protect the pavement from fluid drops.

I wish I was a skateboarder. I might have to pick up a couple go-karts, for the kids of course. :D

I believe the asphalt benefits from a sealer. It keeps the material from excessively drying in the sun and offers some protection from the elements and from outside chemicals such as oil.

I had a two car driveway installed in 1993 at one of the rentals. I have it sealcoated every couple of years for about $100. It's still in brand new condition.

The quality of the sealer is important.

Seal it.

I just had my driveway re-paved. The paver I used, who came highly recommended through a number of sources, told me that the worst thing you can do for an asphalt driveway is to seal it. He claims that the sealant prevents the driveway from breathing properly, which leads to cracking and heaving.

My driveway was already a POS so sealing it was never an option - it isn't like he was talking me out of this to sell me a driveway job. At the very least I would do some investigation into this claim before putting the sealant on.

And the discussion continues. :D

The problem is that both arguments make sense.

I'm wondering if there's a difference, as far as end result goes, with the stuff the pro's use in those heated trailers vs. the brush on stuff?

My father was an asphalt paving contractor for thirty years and he used to say that sealing was a waste of money. It seems like it would be helpful, but he was an expert. He said if you had a good paving job done, there was no need to seal it.

Sealing is required out here in the land of perpetual sun. We have, it seems, 380 days of sunshine and 15 days of torrential downpour every year. Using my infrared thermometer, concrete gets to 165 F and blacktop to 154 F (concrete has more mass and density therefore it doesn't shed the heat as asphalt will). The intense sun actually "cooks" the top layer of black-top and then the sudden rain will wash it away.

Heated sealer flows better and will seep into minor cracks but it's heated mainly for ease of application. The roll-on stuff from Ace Hardware seems to work as well if you apply it in the mid-afternoon of a sunny day. It's a nasty job and I'd suggest having a pro do it. They can whack it out in a couple of hours and usually for about the cost of the shoes you have to throw away and the carpet/furniture cleaning bill for removing those spots you didn't realize were on your pants.

I wouldn't want to spend the extra money, if the last one lasted 30 years and this one is better, chances are you will be retired or somewhere else by the time it needs paving again.

As a side note what a perfect sport to do burn outs in the 66 Vette...:D

Ah, the old Social Security argument. Let my kids figure out how to pay for it. ;) :) That's kind of the way I'm leaning, though. I suppose the sealed spots for the delivery trucks might serve as a good test case.

You should have seen the tracks I laid down with our Powerstroke Econoline before the old pavement was dug up! :D

I'm thinking a few of these might be in order:
http://www.scooterx.biz/images/diagram-kart.jpg

Kill two birds with one stone! Pop the kids into the little "go fasties", load up the paintball guns with sealant paintballs and do a little ground level skeet shooting! (ala' Top Gear!).

:D Now that would be some funny sh**! Cleanup might suck, though. :)