Can You Reseal an Asphalt Driveway Yourself?

Choosing asphalt for your driveway or other surface is a great choice. Asphalt is affordable, nearly 100% recyclable, and durable to take what you can throw at it. Like many other things around your home, your asphalt will need proper maintenance to help keep strong and looking good for decades. One of the primary maintenance components of asphalt has to do with resealing it. Let’s look at what resealing asphalt entails, and if it is something you can take care of yourself.

Can You Reseal an Asphalt Driveway Yourself?

The process of resealing asphalt is mandatory if you want your asphalt to have its longest possible life. Sealing is the process of adding a topcoat of a sealing material to the top of your asphalt to help protect the asphalt from damage from sun and water as well as providing additional friction for vehicles and other objects to grab onto. The type of sealant used depends on the qualities you want from it as well as the type of asphalt you have. Popular asphalt sealants include refined coal tar emulsion and asphalt emulsions.

The good news is that yes, you can reseal your asphalt yourself if you want to, or you can hire a professional asphalt company to do the job for you. To give you an idea if you should take on the job of resealing your asphalt, let’s look at some of the steps involved.

• The clean. You don’t want to seal on top of a dirty asphalt surface full of debris, so you will have to clean the asphalt first. This involves using a combination of wire brushes, hoses, or pressure washers to rid your asphalt surface of all dirt and debris.
• The repairs. Before sealing your asphalt you should make repairs to your asphalt. These repairs include filling in cracks, holes, and cleaning up oil spots. Sealing can’t cover repairs, so take care of the repair before sealing.
• The mix and match. You must find the right type of sealant for your asphalt. You will also need to mix the sealant with a certain amount of other materials like sand, but these directions are usually included in the bag.
• The application. Professionals use a combination of pumps, squeegees and other tools to apply the sealant. You don’t have to have the equipment that the professionals have, but you must have the right tools to apply the sealant in a consistent and precise method.

These are the basic steps you will need to take on if you want to reseal your asphalt yourself. If this looks like a bit much, we recommend calling on a professional asphalt company to help you. Asphalt companies have the tools and experience to seal your asphalt the right way and keep it looking good for years.