How to Use Driveway Sealer

Whether your driveway is asphalt or concrete, you can seal it yourself.

Driveway sealer is a topcoat for both concrete and asphalt drives. The sealers are made to protect the surface of your driveway as well as enhance the beauty of the concrete or the asphalt. Regardless whether your driveway is concrete or asphalt, the preparation for applying the sealer is much the same. However, the sealer for each is applied in a different way by using product-specific application tools..

Things You'll Need

• Broom Dish soap water mix Large bucket Hose with water supply Patching supplies Sealer for asphalt or concrete Mixing stick Rubber squeegee Paint roller tray Paint roller with long handle

Instructions

Asphalt Driveways

1. Sweep the driveway with a broom. Remove all loose particles from the surface.

2. Mix up a standard batch of dish soap water in a large bucket. Dip your broom into the mixture and wash the entire surface of the driveway. Rinse completely with a hose.

3. Repair the driveway with the asphalt patching material, which is made from petroleum distillate products. All cracks, chips and gouges must be patched before you can apply the sealer.

4. Stir up your asphalt sealer with a mixing stick. Pour it liberally onto the asphalt driveway close to the edges and in a slightly wavy line, beginning where your driveway meets the garage, house or otherwise at the end of its run.

5. Squeegee the asphalt sealer over the surface of the driveway, starting at one side and working your way to the other side. When you finish this section, pour out another line where the sealer has ended and spread it evenly, until you end at the roadway.

Concrete Driveways

1. Prepare a concrete driveway in the same way as an asphalt driveway. Sweep, wash and patch using cement-based products.

2. Pour a liberal amount of the concrete sealer into a paint roller tray. If the sealer bucket is wide enough, that will suffice to allow access for the paint roller.

3. Dip your paint roller into the concrete sealer. Roll the sealer onto the concrete driveway. As with asphalt, begin where the driveway meets the garage or the house or at the end of its run. Do the edges first and work your way down the driveway.

Tips & Warnings

• Never apply asphalt sealer if the temperature is below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. As a rule of thumb, the warmer it is, the better the sealer will adhere to the asphalt. Do not drive on freshly sealed driveways for at least 24 hours; some products may take 48 hours to cure properly.

References

• Latex-ite: Sealing Your Driveway
• MetaCafe: How to Seal Coat a Driveway
• Natural Handyman: Driveway Sealants
• Dex Knows: How To Apply Driveway Sealer