Roadway sealcoating

Started by WilliamG8 • 13 replies • 4919 views

💬 Join us to post & get advice from 50,000 HOA & Condo leaders.

⚡ Takes 30 seconds

Already a member? Log in

WilliamG8 (Ohio)
Posts: 1

Posted:

Located in NE Ohio our roadway was sealcoated once 7 yrs ago. We are diligent about sealing cracks and have a good 6 inch base to our roadway. Is it worthwhile to seal coat our road and if so how often. Thx

JohnB26 (South Carolina)
Posts: 1,001

Posted:

get your roadway advice from a local civil engineer ~ NOT the www

here you will get some yesses, some noes, some 'it depends upon your local conditions'

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,062

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By JohnB26 on 07/15/2014 3:38 PM

here you will get some yesses, some noes, some 'it depends upon your local conditions'

Funny, I get those responses when our own Board discusses the issues.

Some people think seal coating does some good.
Some people think seal coating does nothing for the road.
Most will admit that it will, at the very least, produce an aesthetic look to the roads.

LarryB13 (Arizona)
Posts: 4,099

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By TimB4 on 07/15/2014 7:41 PM

Some people think seal coating does some good.
Some people think seal coating does nothing for the road.
Most will admit that it will, at the very least, produce an aesthetic look to the roads.

By "seal coating," I assume that you are referring to a thin layer of tar-like material that is applied hot and remains sticky for a day or two.

I am one of those who thinks it does nothing for the asphalt and one contractor told me it is detrimental to concrete.

But I also admit that it makes the asphalt look better for a time, which is why owners of parking lots everywhere seem to love the stuff.

My recommendation is always to find out how your local government repairs the streets and follow suit. I consider seal coating to be nothing more than glorified paint and have never seen any local government use it on public roadways.

Also, seal coating often creates a conflict between the board, the contractor, and residents. The contractor wishes to make just one trip and do it all at once. The board often goes along with this to get a lower price. The problem is that the contractor does not want anyone driving on the seal coat for at least a day, which creates a conflict with owners who expect to use the road for ingress and egress. If you do go ahead with seal coating, schedule it so that no streets must be closed completely.

LarryB13 (Arizona)
Posts: 4,099

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By WilliamG8 on 07/15/2014 1:47 PM
Located in NE Ohio our roadway was sealcoated once 7 yrs ago. We are diligent about sealing cracks and have a good 6 inch base to our roadway. Is it worthwhile to seal coat our road and if so how often. Thx

The other sealing process that I am familiar with is one that was used by the city of Phoenix for many years. It was called chip sealing and the process was to lay down a coat of hot tar and then immediately cover it with pea-sized crushed rock. The crushed rock would be pushed into the tar by a roller. Traffic would also help embed the rock. The final step was to use a street sweeper to pick up the excess rock.

While chip sealing is an effective means of sealing and resurfacing, the public hated it due to flying rocks and chipped windshields. The city now grinds old pavement down to a smooth base and applies a new layer of asphalt. BTW, the street in front of my house is now about 40 years old and as near as I can tell is the original asphalt pavement. It has no problems and it will be decades before it needs repaving, but we have no snow, no ice, and no freezing to contend with. From time to time the city sends out a crew to fill any cracks with tar and that seems to be all the work the street ever needs.

KellyM3 (North Carolina)
Posts: 2,239

Posted:

If you're sealing the cracks regularly, I'm told by paving professionals that is a great strategy as it keeps moisture from entering the structure of your asphalt. The seal coating can't hurt the asphalt and does look aesthetically pleasing. As far as a maintenance schedule, that's where I'd check with a professional paving firm. I don't think such an inquiry rises to the level of paying a civil engineer.

Of course half your board supports doing nothing. That's half the purpose of HOA boards.

DouglasK1 (Florida)
Posts: 2,046

Posted:

My HOA sealcoats the roads about every three years, and I think we've done it three times so far. The coating is liquid that is sprayed or rolled, but not applied hot. We too have had a lot of contention about whether it should be done or not. Our roads are pushing 20 years old, and our most recent engineering inspection noted that they will not expect to need paving for several more years. The inspection report attributes the long life to the sealcoating.

One argument that we also get is that the city and county don't sealcoat roads. One reason for that is that sealcoating makes the surface more slippery, and is only appropriate where speeds are fairly low, like parking lots and small subdivision streets.

Escaped former treasurer and director of a self managed association.

DonnaR5
Posts: 162

Posted:

Our HOA repaired cracks and then did a seal coating on all our roads 2 years ago. The seal coat started flaking off in about ten days. The new lines in the parking lot marking the spaces that was painted on top of the seal coat went away with the seal coat. We ended up with black granules in our gutters that eventually washed into the stream through the storm drains.

Waste of money. A lot of money.

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,062

Posted:

Seal Coating is typically a layer of tar. The thickness of the application (note, it can be too thick just as easily as it can be too thin), quality of prepping (cleaning, sealing cracks, repairs, etc.) and quality of the actual tar and additives depends on the company doing the work.

If your considering seal coating, do your homework on the different types of seal coat products and ask for locations of work they have done and are currently doing (then take the time to drive by those locations to evaluate the references).

DaveD3 (Michigan)
Posts: 796

Posted:

"You can sealcoat it if you want to. It will make it look nice & black, but that's about it" That's a quote from the paving contractor that put in my driveway.

I've talked to their engineering reps about the private road in our association. He's recommended to maintain the road by sealing cracks and has never mentioned sealcoating any portion of the road.

As for the cracks, the best is a "Rout & Seal" where they essentially cut the crack open a little before applying a hot rubber sealant. The less preferred method is Overbanding, but it's still ok and better than nothing at all.

LeonR1 (Arizona)
Posts: 1

Posted:

You shoul seek advice from proffessionals who cares, Keeping it looking good also helps prolong its longevity and can significantly extend the life and reduce the repair costs associated with the maintenance of your asphalt streets, parking lots, highways or dirt roads.

TimM11
Posts: 354

Posted:

My HOA sealcoated the driveways every two or three years, but never the streets (though we did have cracks in the streets filled with a rubber-based filler).

IME, sealcoating can help up to a point, but eventually the underlying asphalt will degrade to the point where it needs to be replaced. Especially where I live, since we have harsh winters.

GenoS (Florida)
Posts: 4,276

Posted:

5 year old thread.

GenoS (Florida)
Posts: 4,276

Posted:

5 year old thread.

🎯 You've read this entire discussion

Join the conversation with 50,000 HOA & Condo Leaders:

✓ Ask follow-up questions
✓ Share your experience
✓ Get expert advice
✓ Access 350,000 discussions

Create Free Account →

⚡ Takes 30 seconds

Already a member? Log in here