Sealcoating & Crack Sealing in Walnut Creek, CA

Sealcoating and crack sealing are the two maintenance steps that do the most to extend the life of asphalt. Crack sealing keeps water from reaching the base. Sealcoating protects the surface from sunlight, oxidation and spills. In the Walnut Creek area, with dry summers that bake the surface and wet winters that push water into every opening, both pay for themselves many times over.

Crack sealing

Cracks are cleaned out with air or a router, then filled with hot rubberized sealant that stays flexible as the pavement expands and contracts. Late summer and early fall, before the first storms, is the best time. HomeGuide lists crack filling at about $0.50 to $3 per linear foot, with minimum service fees of $100 to $250.

Sealcoating

Sealcoat is a thin coating spread over the whole surface. HomeGuide puts driveway sealing at $1 to $2 per square foot, with a national average job of about $600. It recommends waiting three to six months after new paving, sealing in dry weather between about 50 and 95 degrees, and resealing every 2 to 10 years depending on product and climate.

Products

HomeGuide notes that coal tar sealers resist fuel and oil but are banned in many areas for health and environmental reasons, while asphalt polymer emulsion is considered more environmentally friendly but can stain from gas and oil. We use asphalt emulsion sealers for residential work.

Steep driveways

Fresh sealcoat can be slick on steep grades in wet weather. For hillside driveways we can add fine sand to the mix for traction.

Lots and private roads

For larger areas, HomeAdvisor lists sealcoat at about $0.15 to $0.30 per square foot and suggests resealing every two to five years. We combine crack sealing, sealcoat and restriping on one schedule to keep closures short.

What sealcoat cannot do

Sealcoat does not fix potholes, failed base or broken edges, and it will not bridge wide cracks. Those are repaired first. If your pavement is past the point where sealing helps, we tell you.

A simple schedule

• Late summer: inspect, fill cracks
• Every few years: clean and sealcoat
• After each sealcoat on lots: restripe

Following that schedule is the cheapest way to make asphalt last in this climate.