Dont seal it???????????????????

[21eagle]

Whats up with some asphalt companies telling there customers to never get there driveways sealed??????????????

[punt66]

The driveway at my house is 45 years old. Never sealed. I really dont see the point. Many do seal their drives here. It wears off in a year. I wonder how many times you could repave with all the money people dump into sealing?

[salopez]

paving co.s dont make money when you seal....

[JFGauvreau]

The driveway at my house is 45 years old. Never sealed. I really dont see the point. Many do seal their drives here. It wears off in a year. I wonder how many times you could repave with all the money people dump into sealing?

All depends on the area where you live in, In Canada, I would believe you that your asphalt is 45 years old and still in good shape, the asphalt back 45 years is not the same as the new ones. New asphalt here is made with lots of sand and very little tiny rocks, so they tend to crack just after 2 years.

like salopez said, they tell you not to seal it so it will oxidize faster and crack faster so they can repave it again.

[punt66]

All depends on the area where you live in, In Canada, I would believe you that your asphalt is 45 years old and still in good shape, the asphalt back 45 years is not the same as the new ones. New asphalt here is made with lots of sand and very little tiny rocks, so they tend to crack just after 2 years.

like salopez said, they tell you not to seal it so it will oxidize faster and crack faster so they can repave it again.

That may be true in your area. Here, they mix per order. Your not going to save money putting in smaller stone. The proper way to pave is in 2 layers. A base mix and then a top driveway mix. Some of the problems you mention are from a weak base or a single layer.

[shepoutside]

That may be true in your area. Here, they mix per order. Your not going to save money putting in smaller stone. The proper way to pave is in 2 layers. A base mix and then a top driveway mix. Some of the problems you mention are from a weak base or a single layer.

Problem in our area is heaving from freezing.

[punt66]

Problem in our area is heaving from freezing.

we get cold here as well. Probably not to your extreme though. So i cant comment on that. I do know how to prevent that here. Proper grading and base material. Heaving is from water. Water should not be in the base. But like i said it probably different up there. How much frost do you get up there? Our frost line is supposedly 42 inches. I have never in all my years digging in the winter seen more then 6 inches and it was only that deep because there was no snow cover. What is typical for frost depth up there?

[JFGauvreau]

Lol, frost dept in Canada can reach 72inches. The asphalt here in Ontario is not the same, company's are cutting it down for residential driveways. Most people are only getting their asphalt pave in 1 layer at 1" 1/2 or sometimes 2", with lots of sand and very little rocks, that is not strong enough to survive the winters. Even if it has a good base of 18", its not enough. Some of the old asphalt that is 15-20 years + were made with 24" of base and 4" inches compacted of asphalt that contain bigger rocks and less sand. I know this because I do business with asphalt company's in my area.

[tdmsealcoating]

Obviously, if pavers be recommending their customers to seal their driveways every year their pockets be empty. The truth is , its cheaper to maintain your existing pavement, then to repave it.

www.tdmsealcoating.com

[punt66]

Obviously, if pavers be recommending their customers to seal their driveways every year their pockets be empty. The truth is , its cheaper to maintain your existing pavement, then to repave it.

www.tdmsealcoating.com

no its not. To repave a typical drive here its about 4g. To seal it? $800? so 5 years of sealing.

[MarcSmith]

my question....and I have a pavers as a drive. so no more asphalt for me...

I never see the DOT sealing roads....so why do homeowners need to seal their drives?

educate me...

[salopez]

Well i never see homeowners re-paving every 5-8 years.... so there you go.

but notice the DOT does crack fill every year...

[punt66]

Well i never see homeowners re-paving every 5-8 years.... so there you go.

but notice the DOT does crack fill every year...

exactly. Drives last 20 years or more. If they sealed every year they could just repave. I would rather have a new driveway.

[MarcSmith]

so the amount of traffic on a road has nothing to do with the reason for repavaing?

does the DOT use a different formulation of asphalt?

my street has not been paved in 10 years...
and I can drive on other asphalt roads of the same vintage which have not been repaved

[punt66]

so the amount of traffic on a road has nothing to do with the reason for repavaing?

does the DOT use a different formulation of asphalt?

my street has not been paved in 10 years...
and I can drive on other asphalt roads of the same vintage which have not been repaved

there are different mixes for driveway and DOT. DOT does not seal roadways. Cracks? YES. But half of those sealed cracks fail quickly anyway.

[MarcSmith]

so, whynot use the dot version of asphalt for your driveway?

[punt66]

so, whynot use the dot version of asphalt for your driveway?

because most wont pay for it. They want the cheapest price. Dot uses 2 layers. The "base" layer is heavy with stone and then on top of that is the road mix. Most driveway contracters dont want to come back and pave twice and people want the cheapest price. If a driveway base was installed correctly and you put 2 1 1/2" layers min. It would be a lifetime drive.

[soloscaperman]

Re sealing in CT is a must! If your snow plowing and throwing sand and salt it won't last that long. Re sealing is very cheap. There is a famous guy in CT name Stutz seal coating. A normal driveway is about $100. He sprays it and has 3 mexicans and is in and out under 30 min! Some of my customers have him and they spend around $85-$300 for the windy long driveways every 2-3 years.

Most of customers have new homes on a new street and there fresh driveway is only in warranty if it gets seal coated if not it voids the warranty.

My driveway is 20 years old and is showing crakes and wearing from washing my stuff all the time and of course parking my heavy truck.

Most driveways that my clients cost around 3K-10K to have it re paved.

[punt66]

Re sealing in CT is a must! If your snow plowing and throwing sand and salt it won't last that long. Re sealing is very cheap. There is a famous guy in CT name Stutz seal coating. A normal driveway is about $100. He sprays it and has 3 mexicans and is in and out under 30 min! Some of my customers have him and they spend around $85-$300 for the windy long driveways every 2-3 years.

Most of customers have new homes on a new street and there fresh driveway is only in warranty if it gets seal coated if not it voids the warranty.

My driveway is 20 years old and is showing crakes and wearing from washing my stuff all the time and of course parking my heavy truck.

Most driveways that my clients cost around 3K-10K to have it re paved.

your drive is near the end of its lifespan. Think about it. Roadways do not get sealed. On roads are very heavy traffic including trucks weighing up tp 80,000 lbs.

[salopez]

this is not an apples to apples discussion....

roads are 6-10 inches thick depending on the area and the use... plus 6+ inches of base.

a driveway is usually 4 inches of base and 3 inches of aspalt. plus rarely do people spend the money to back fill the sides. you still get ups, fedex, the water truck coming up and down your driveway. if you maintan it a driveway will last longer.

streets in dc suck, and the city has no money. out here in MD they are currenly tar n chipping bad areas to save money on asphalt. really bad areas are getting patches...and worse re-paves. if someone did this on their home they would get alot more then 20 years out of a drive.

lastly there is no reason to seal every year...thats bad for the asphalt. look at parking lot that has parking spaces striped...most of them have cracks where they are painted. this is due to too much moisture getting trapped. same things happen to over sealed driveways.... they crumble from moisture. 3-6 years depending on condition is what we do. we also recomend highly that you fill cracks, since they will kill a driveway quickly.

[JFGauvreau]

my question....and I have a pavers as a drive. so no more asphalt for me...

I never see the DOT sealing roads....so why do homeowners need to seal their drives?

educate me...

It's very different in very area, but the reason here in Canada they don't seal the highway, roadways is:

1)- They wouldn't let cars on for at least 48 hours for the drying time, this would be a headache with a lot of traffic going on.

2)- It would be very expensive to seal the highways/ roadways (but very little compared to paving.

3)- Roadways and highways are made with a much thicker base and thicker asphalt, they are compacted way more than residential driveways

*In short the asphalt for highways and roadways are made to LAST, good highways will be able to survive 30+ years in Canada with the harsh winter and salt we have. They build them very tough to survive traffic and heavy duty use.

Residential driveways are not the same, they are build way more cheap. Most driveways here that are 800 sq.foot will cost about 3gs to pave, and about 200$ to seal every 2-3 years.

residential driveways here have: 12inches of base, with 1-2 inches of asphalt compacted.

True fact: The 417 (one of the big highways in Ontario) has 24inches of base, with 6 layers of 2inches of heavy duty compacted asphalt.

That's why they don't bother sealing it because the asphalt is made to last, although they still do fix the cracks as some point.

[JFGauvreau]

lastly there is no reason to seal every year...thats bad for the asphalt. look at parking lot that has parking spaces striped...most of them have cracks where they are painted. this is due to too much moisture getting trapped. same things happen to over sealed driveways.... they crumble from moisture. 3-6 years depending on condition is what we do. we also recomend highly that you fill cracks, since they will kill a driveway quickly.

You don't need to seal every year, but the problem your talking about moisture is actually cause by some homeowner who seal every year with those buckets that you buy and they roll it on themselves. Those buckets are usually acrylic or latex, which is a paint that sits on top of the driveways. If you put to much of a thick layer, it will in fact suffocate your driveway. Every time the driveway expand and contract, it doesn't do that at the same temperature as the acrylic or latex that is on top, therefor it will crack even fast.

[21eagle]

where did you come up with these numbers???? sealing 10-15 cents a square, asphalt 4$ a sq to rip out and pave 2$ to pave average cost.

[punt66]

where did you come up with these numbers???? sealing 10-15 cents a square, asphalt 4$ a sq to rip out and pave 2$ to pave average cost.

you wont get anybody to seal a 2000 sq ft drive for $300. But they will pave it for 4g. Even if you sealed every year for 15 years thats $4500 at $300 a seal. Its throwing money away.

[21eagle]

im on long island and 15 cents a square is not bad. Maybe ill send you some cards and you could hand them out if noone will work for 15 cents a square lol

[punt66]

Do a mailer over here.

[JFGauvreau]

Here an average driveway is 800sq foot. I charge 25 cents per square foot.

800sq/f X .25cents = 200$

I recommend sealing every 2 years.
In 10 years (assuming the prices stays the same)

You will have done the sealing 5 times = 1000$
New driveway can last 10 years but won't be the same as if you seal it every 2 years, guaranteed.

So, in 30 years, you will have sealed it 15 times = 3000$

With no sealing over 30 years, you would at least have to repave twice= 6000$

[punt66]

Here an average driveway is 800sq foot. I charge 25 cents per square foot.

800sq/f X .25cents = 200$

I recommend sealing every 2 years.
In 10 years (assuming the prices stays the same)

You will have done the sealing 5 times = 1000$
New driveway can last 10 years but won't be the same as if you seal it every 2 years, guaranteed.

So, in 30 years, you will have sealed it 15 times = 3000$

With no sealing over 30 years, you would at least have to repave twice= 6000$

Thats a tiny driveway. The average drive here is about 2000sqf. so that wold be $500 to seal. 500-800 is the going rate here. do that every 2 years for 15 years? About $4000. The price to repave. I just dont see why people waste their money and then have to pave anyway.

[StratfordSealing]

I dont see the point in paying someone to cut my lawn but you dont see me over on your forum yapping about it, if you dont think its worth it dont get it done. Do you really think if it was as pointless as you make it sound that so many people would get it done?

[punt66]

I dont see the point in paying someone to cut my lawn but you dont see me over on your forum yapping about it, if you dont think its worth it dont get it done. Do you really think if it was as pointless as you make it sound that so many people would get it done?

Is that all you can add? Lawns grow and need maintenance. My unsealed driveway is from 1963 and still fine. I have never seen a driveway only last 10 years and very few people seal their driveways here. Sorry, i dont see the point. To make it look black?

[StratfordSealing]

I could add alot more but whats the point, you are obviously trolling so keep at it.

[punt66]

I could add alot more but whats the point, you are obviously trolling so keep at it.

glad you shared such wisdom.

[StratfordSealing]

glad you shared such wisdom.

Np, glad I could help, let me know if you need a quote for your driveway.

[miked9372]

my question....and I have a pavers as a drive. so no more asphalt for me...

I never see the DOT sealing roads....so why do homeowners need to seal their drives?

educate me...

yes they do it to city streets...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkjBmT0DFUg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg8SrsoD13g

[punt66]

yes they do it to city streets...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkjBmT0DFUg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg8SrsoD13g

Thats different then just sealing.

[truseal]

you wont get anybody to seal a 2000 sq ft drive for $300. But they will pave it for 4g. Even if you sealed every year for 15 years thats $4500 at $300 a seal. Its throwing money away.

You have got to be kidding me..here in Ohio a 2000 sq ft drive we would charge max $200....

[punt66]

You have got to be kidding me..here in Ohio a 2000 sq ft drive we would charge max $200....

Not here. Although the average home here costs $350,000 and up. Everything is expensive here.

[omniplayer]

A driveway that costs $4,000 to pave should not cost $800 to seal. It should be around $300-$400 depending on the condition. Also is the $4,000 pave job a rip out and replace or is it an overlay? Lastly, a driveway doesn't need to be sealcoated more than 2-5 years in between coats so the five times sealed could span 25 years.

[wnwniner]

I run construction for the local government. We do "seal" our roads, but what we use is significantly different than what you can get at the hardware store or from a local contractor who will do your driveway. Each product has different properties and purposes. As previosuly mentioned, sealing a road does cause a problem with traffic-you have to let it dry for a while. In addition, it does not last as long as resurfacing (plane and overlay or mill and fill-removing the top layer of asphalt and replacing it) and causes more headaches for traffic (again, staying off of it for long enough to let it dry), so its not always worth it.

Instead of sealing a driveway with a seal coat or coal tar sealer, newer driveways should be sealed with a rejuvinator. This type of product actually replinishs some of the properties of the actual asphalt binder that are lost during the mixing and placement of the material, as well as being lost from the weather.

The most important thing in road or drive construction is the base-it must be firm and able to drain extra mositure.

[omniplayer]

What's wrong with America? This is! We seal roads and entire developments. They drive on them 4 hours later. It's called technology. As far as professional grade products go, if you were using them you would have never mentioned store bought products. Every asphalt professional knows that they are made for homeowners who want to do it themselves and not pay out. IE plastic asphalt tampers at lows! As far as rejuvenators are concerned you are talking about oil based products to re-saturate the asphalt. This is 50 year old tech that does't work unless you do it at least 2-3 times a year since it only takes 3-6 months for the oils in asphalt to dry out due to the suns UV rays. According to your logic it's easier to replace or put a bandage on it that will obviously fail. But the underlying problem isn't't addressed because it's a lack of maintenance. It's a huge part of the reason why this country is so messed up when it concerns infrastructure. If you have a car you have to maintain it or pay for a new one in 1-3 years. But if you do maintenance it can last 30. DO THE MATH!!

[wnwniner]

30 year roadway life? Hmm, we must be doing something wrong, because we're getting more like 70 :)

We use more than just rejuvinators; we rate our roads and curb/gutter annualy based on PCI/CCI (Pavement/Curb condition index). We have a detailed pavment deteroriation curve based on our pavement sections and our local conditions, including climate, subgrade, etc. We specifiy different mixes, different binders, different joint sealers and compaction tests depending on the roadway and expected traffic. We count cars to make sure we know which mix to use. We stay up on current training and industry standards, we have on site inspection and testing.

I agree that rejuvinators are not a cure-all. In my (semi) profesional opinion, they are the best solution for newer asphalt drives. They are not a cure-all, I would not use them exclusivley, they are just another tool in the pavement maintence box that can be used to get the design life (30 years) and then some from a pavement section.

[omniplayer]

More like 30? Is this the life of a rip out and replace and numerous resurfacing without other maintenace? I mean no crack fill, small hole patch, transition fill, sealing, and infared patch. I doubt it. I don't doubt that you know paving but you obviously don't push maintenace which is way more cost effective for business owners and homeowners alike. If the maintenace is does right than it obviousley means out of business for a lot of short sighted old school paving companies. Not that you are this way but just saying.

[wnwniner]

We'll rejuvinate one-3 times in years 1-8ish, crack seal and slurry seal as needed in through the first 15-20 years or so, then resurface around year 15-25. After that, start over-you can usually get about 3 cycles of this before the base and curb need replaced. Our cycle/schedule is different for bigger roadways, but then again so is the pavement section, materials and traffic. Plus we do pavement cores, subgrade treatments, etc when building a new road or reconstructing an older one. We plan our other infrastructure work (sewers, water main, etc.) with the roadway work so we dont resurface then rip it up in 4 years for a new line.

I get what you're saying that some driveway contractors would push residents in a way to generate more business than better treatments for the homeowner. I always get a kick out of the young kids coming to my door in the summer saying "O we are just around the corner at a neighbors house and we noticed your driveway needs sealed!" Always fun to quiz them on asphalt and watch them get real confused and nervous, stubmle through some answers and then walk away defeated!

[omniplayer]

You would probably look at me the same way if I came to your door. Except for the fact that I have never knocked on a door because all of our business is from people calling in. Unfortunately there is a lot those guys around that are like that. There is nothing wrong with people going door to door though as long as are using good product and know what they are talking about. But I haved done regular maintenace on roads, parking lots, and driveways that have been sealed at least a couple of times and maintained that have never been resurfaced or repaved in over 20 years that are in excellent condition. The only asphalt that I have seen that needs to be resurfaced or dug up and redone have been the ones that were not pout in right from the start or haven't been sealed, crack filled, and patched when needed.

[wnwniner]

Right-proper maintenance is key. Most of roads that get reconstructed have subgrade problems-moisture, organic soils, etc. Regular maintenace helps roads last much longer, just like changing the oil in the car.

As for those that come door to door, most of them seem to know enough to sell their product but not much more than that. There are some great driveway contractors out there, but also some duds. The drive on my home was done before I bought it, but whoever did it sure knew what they were doing-its in near mint condition.

[richsealcoating]

Door to door is bad on the image of your company...I manage ashalt jobs from start to finish and do not recommend sealcoat until after at least 2 years to my customers.. Then seal no earlier than 3 years when its done again... To much sealer and the asphalt does not absorb it and it lays on the top being ineffective and cracking and flaking off. Sealer is not just for cosmetic look but to help keep the liguid in the asphalt...once asphalt dries out the stones begin to flake and the drive comes apart....

[BIGBOY2008]

I did the door to door thing the begining of last season and it was one of the best decisions i could have made.

There was this one dead end road in particular approximately two miles long with numerous $400,000.00 to $700,000.00 houses on it. The first drive on that road was nice 16400 sq/ft drive running up a slight grade that was visible from the entry up to the garage doors. I had so many people stopping to talk to me that at lunch time i left and got one of the real estate flyer boxes and put my information in it and placed it on my barricades at the end of the drive. I was doing sealing jobs on that road two and three times a week for an entire month and a half. Not only that but i also did two huge concrete and paver sealing jobs and did crack repairs on three in-ground swimming pools. I also did roof coating jobs on several horse stables located on that road.

The truth is i had almost didnt stop at that first drive because of the possibility of the people who owned the house thinking i was a door knocker who probably didnt know what he was doing.

[frotis]

All depends on the area where you live in, In Canada, I would believe you that your asphalt is 45 years old and still in good shape, the asphalt back 45 years is not the same as the new ones. New asphalt here is made with lots of sand and very little tiny rocks, so they tend to crack just after 2 years.

like salopez said, they tell you not to seal it so it will oxidize faster and crack faster so they can repave it again.

You need to order the proper mix


The vast majority of inexpensive driveways use about 1 to 1 ½ inch compacted thickness of HL-3A asphalt. This produces about a 10 year lifespan at best, but often starts to deteriorate much sooner.

I recommend a minimum driveway thickness at one layer of 2 to 2 ½ inch compacted thickness HL-3A asphalt. This will last 12-20 years under normal use.

A common stem up from there is to install a base layer of 1 ½ -2 inches of HL-3 asphalt topped with 1 - 1 ½ inches of HL-3A asphalt. Such a driveway should last 25+ years.

The ultimate driveway would be to use a commercial standard of 2 to 2 ½ inches of HL-8 base asphalt topped with 2 inches of HL-3 or 3A asphalt. Such a driveway would not only last 35+ years but also be resistant to compression damage from heavy traffic use, large trucks etc.

[AffordableSealcoatingLLC]

I'd like to see a pic of 45 year old black top in good shape?

[frotis]

I'd like to see a pic of 45 year old black top in good shape?

I would like to see it also.

[darryl gesner]

Where I live they commonly chip seal the local roads. They spray on a tar-like substance and then spread fine crushed stone on top of it. They used to just use sand years ago but now they used crushed basalt, a.k.a. trap rock.

[JFGauvreau]

You need to order the proper mix

It's not me, it's 95% of the company around here have the same shitty mix. The asphalt looks immaculate for the first 2 years, but that's about it.

I've only seen a couple of asphalts that were actually up to standard, they were pave by the same company who does the streets and highway. The asphalt had a 24" of GA and 3/4 base, compacted to every 4". They put down 4" of highway grade asphalt. I still pass by from time to time to see these particular asphalt and they are still in good shape. The problem is they cost 3times more to do than ordinary 1" thick asphalt.

[punt66]

I would like to see it also.

no problem, how many would you like? We have them all over town. I will post it up when i get a chance. Most homes were buit in the 60's and 70's in my town.

[pgrzes]

How bout if we look at it this way. A paving company that does sealcoating wont tell you not to seal it. Correct?? And pavers that don't sometimes might say not to seal it!!!
If you don't care what your house looks like then who cares. Mulch or rotted leaves all end up the same and I hate mulching but I do it every year because 1- It looks nice and 2- My wife says to do it!!! Sealing adds appeal to a home and does add protection to asphalt when done properly!!! Biggest problem I run into is OVERSEALED driveways. I try to educate homeowner on what went wrong, and how to avoid happening again. Well I am off to seal a half dozen driveways. Late season start due to weather this year

[Coater]

O and the oil spot that is eating away at the asphalt that now has to be cut out and replaced Could have been save if it had been Sealcoated.. If you guys have nothing better to do then run your ignorant mouths go somewhere else.

[AffordableSealcoatingLLC]

O and the oil spot that is eating away at the asphalt that now has to be cut out and replaced Could have been save if it had been Sealcoated.. If you guys have nothing better to do then run your ignorant mouths go somewhere else.

? huh......?

[wnwniner]

Where I live they commonly chip seal the local roads. They spray on a tar-like substance and then spread fine crushed stone on top of it. They used to just use sand years ago but now they used crushed basalt, a.k.a. trap rock.


We are getting ready to CAPE seal some roads-chip seal followed by slurry seal. We've never chipped before, what do we need to tell our residents about this process? We are a residential community with above average homes, residents who expect the world and need to be real hands on. Any suggestions? If we were going to do your road with a chip then slurry a few weeks later, what would you want to know?

[omniplayer]

If you are going to have this work done than that must mean the asphalt is pretty worn and in very bad condition. For parking lots and roads this makes sense because to have it resurfaced or ripped out and replaced will cost a lot of money. An honest seal coat company will tell you if it can or cannot be seal coated. The only alternative to resurface/rip-out and replace is chip and slurry. Make sure this is the only other option and they are not selling you on what's cheaper for them. Chip and slurry is way cheaper for them to do than sealing if they have the equipment, but could be totally unnecessary for you the customer and cost you a lot more. It also looks like crap compared to a properly seal coated asphalt surface.

[Turf Tracer]

We advertise sealing as just a means to make the drive look better...not for increasing longevity.

Alot of rich people around here will call us 3-4 times a summer to get their drive looking good for a party.

One lady had her drive sealed 12 times this summer.

[omniplayer]

The reason why you put it out there for cosmetic purpose is because you use oil base which only lasts about 1-3 months. Oil base sealers only purpose is to inrich the asphalt with the oils that dry ou over 1-3 months after being installed. This is an ancient method of sealing and quite frankly a waste of time for the home or business owner. Coal tar and asphalt based sealants will look like new after 2-4 years minus cracks opening which will happen regardless of what sealcoat you use. This is the most uneducated sealing post I have ever read.

[Turf Tracer]

it may be uneducated but that lady paid us to seal her drive 12 times this summer.

Mabe the profits can buy me some edumacation.

[omniplayer]

That's great for you. I can't wait to find a customer who likes his grass cut 15 times a week. It would be great for my bottom line. Unfortunately it won't be good for thiers. Watch youself. Customers will remember the BS contractors that will do anything to make a buck.

P.S. Most of the time, they feel they are smarter than you!

[Turf Tracer]

We have several customers that get it done more than once a season.

Like I said, they want their drive looking good when all the fancy cars roll up for their garden parties.

and the price to just pressure wash is not that much less.

[omniplayer]

I don't understand what you mean. Call me stupid but where do you live? My customers look at thier driveways or parking lots 2 years later and would not even think for a second it would look better to have it sealed again. What are you doing wrong!!??? Not from a $$$$$$$$$$$$ stand point obviously!

[Turf Tracer]

Its the gloss they want. A high gloss.

The lady that I did 12 times gets her Bentley detailed on the same day and parks it exactly on the sunniest spot on her drive.

[omniplayer]

I can't compete with that!! I give in. ******* ******ed!!!!!!!!

[BIGBOY2008]

Its the gloss they want. A high gloss.

The lady that I did 12 times gets her Bentley detailed on the same day and parks it exactly on the sunniest spot on her drive.

Ive never been able to figure out why a person wanted a shiny driveway.

[Turf Tracer]

me neither but i got to admit it looks kinda cool when her drive has that fresh wet look gloss and her Bentley is sitting on it after being waxed.

Not the way i'd spend my $$$ but what the hell...you only live once.

[soloscaperman]

pictures or your bull *****

[JFGauvreau]

me neither but i got to admit it looks kinda cool when her drive has that fresh wet look gloss and her Bentley is sitting on it after being waxed.

Not the way i'd spend my $$$ but what the hell...you only live once.

12 layers of sealer in 1 season? I sure hope so it was a shitty sealer that worn off every 2 weeks, otherwise you will be destroying that driveway with 12 layers of sealer, eventually alligator cracking can start forming if you put in to much sealer.

When customers calls me to seal his driveway that I did last year for a nice "fresh" look, I tell him no, not before the 2nd year period.

And your putting a sealer that's the same price as power washing the driveway? Over here power washing is 1/3 the price of sealing lol.

[PROCUT1]

He's using oil base or gilsonite. Not an actual sealer. So its not 12 layers of sealer. The stuff he puts down makes the driveway shiny and lasts as long as it takes for the check to clear.

I don't know why they still call it sealer when its not actually a sealer. Its a colorant.

Its like telling someone you're going to paint their deck and you use dyed water and tell them its just as good as paint.

I'm not knocking oil base. I'm knocking people who try to sell it as something that its not.
Telling people having their driveway sprayed with gilsonite is as good or better than having it sealed.

I can't tell you how many people get ripped off when these oil sprayers come through the area.

I talk to the customers later and find out they paid MORE for that then they would have paid to have the driveway sealed.

Its not a bad gig for the contractor. The profits are huge. Very little investment. You only need a small tank because the coverage rate is 7-10 times the coverage of sealer per gallon.

And uneducated customers will pay the same or more for it.
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[Turf Tracer]

Yea, that would be a better word for it...a "colorant".

The customers just want it for cosmetic purposes, usually before a party.

I started upselling it as a cosmetic solution instead of pressure washing when my customers property needs to look its best.