How Much Does It Cost To Seal An Asphalt Driveway? Asphalt driveway sealing costs are determined by strict calculated method and not just a simple square foot price. Throughout my career, many times we’ve had customers call us and ask “How much would it cost to seal my driveway… just give me your square foot price?” And that seems pretty simple right? It seems like it would make sense for a contractor to just be able to throw out a number, doesn’t it? Really, you should beware of any contractor that is willing to just throw out a number.
Why?
Let’s say you call a contractor and ask them “What’s your square foot price?” And let’s also say just for example, after asking you a few questions, the contractor says “$.30 cents a square foot”. You say “Oh? Great can you come and give me a bid?” What do you think that contractors going to do now? They just got an idea of your budget and you didn’t even realize it. Now, when that contractor comes to give you a bid, what do you think they’re going to do now? They’re going to say “Well I didn’t realize you had this and that so… the price is actually $.50 cents a foot”.
Asking a contractor “What’s your square foot price?” is simply setting yourself up to get ripped off. Not all of the time, but some of the time.
The truth is… there are many variables that determine an asphalt driveway sealing cost:
First and foremost… how big or little is the driveway? How many square feet do you have?
How much cleaning is involved? Is the driveway dirty? Are the edges overgrown with grass or weeds?
How many oil spots are there that need to be cleaned and primed?
How much hand work is involved when applying the sealer?
How far is the job site away from the asphalt sealing manufacturing plant?
How many coats are going to be applied?
What method of application do you desire? Spray or squeegee?
How many feet of cracks need to be sealed? Are they deep and need a backer? Are they wide and full of dirt and or weeds?
These are big factors in determining a price when figuring asphalt driveway sealing cost. Obviously, as with just about anything, the more volume, the less the square foot price becomes.
So, when a contractor supplies you with a quote, they’re factoring in the following:
Why?
Let’s say you call a contractor and ask them “What’s your square foot price?” And let’s also say just for example, after asking you a few questions, the contractor says “$.30 cents a square foot”. You say “Oh? Great can you come and give me a bid?” What do you think that contractors going to do now? They just got an idea of your budget and you didn’t even realize it. Now, when that contractor comes to give you a bid, what do you think they’re going to do now? They’re going to say “Well I didn’t realize you had this and that so… the price is actually $.50 cents a foot”.
Asking a contractor “What’s your square foot price?” is simply setting yourself up to get ripped off. Not all of the time, but some of the time.
The truth is… there are many variables that determine an asphalt driveway sealing cost:
First and foremost… how big or little is the driveway? How many square feet do you have?
How much cleaning is involved? Is the driveway dirty? Are the edges overgrown with grass or weeds?
How many oil spots are there that need to be cleaned and primed?
How much hand work is involved when applying the sealer?
How far is the job site away from the asphalt sealing manufacturing plant?
How many coats are going to be applied?
What method of application do you desire? Spray or squeegee?
How many feet of cracks need to be sealed? Are they deep and need a backer? Are they wide and full of dirt and or weeds?
These are big factors in determining a price when figuring asphalt driveway sealing cost. Obviously, as with just about anything, the more volume, the less the square foot price becomes.
So, when a contractor supplies you with a quote, they’re factoring in the following:
Cleaning & Preparation
cost factored into an estimate, is the amount of cleaning and preparation that’s involved and for that, each driveway is unique in it’s own way. A little driveway will take much less cleaning and preparation than big driveway, that goes without saying. But what if the little driveway is filthy dirty, the edges are all overgrown and it just takes a lot of cleaning? And what if the bigger driveway isn’t very dirty and takes less time to clean? The cleaning aspect is different for every job and the most important aspect to a good sealcoating job is how clean the surface of the asphalt is. The cleaner it is the better the sealer will stick! When it comes to the cracks, it’s basically the same scenario. Some driveways have very little cracks and some have a lot of cracks. Some driveways the cracks are clean but very deep and need a backer installed in them. Some are full of dirt and weeds and take time to clean. Each driveway is different. |
Repairs & patching
This is an important step in the seal coating process The risks include how your business can appear to be crumbling along with the asphalt itself. For any organization that invests in marketing or employee recruitment, a deteriorating parking area can reduce returns on those investments. Of course, if you are selling your property, broken pavement can be a distraction and even a price-reducing negotiation point. But the financial risk of a lawsuit stemming from a trip-and-fall accident can be very high: injuries from simple falls can include brain trauma and even death, which can bring legal judgments of a million dollars or more against the property owner. Your property insurance may cover your costs, or it may not. And as anyone who purchases insurance knows, a loss experience almost always leads to higher premiums for the policyholder. These risks are an easy fix if done properly will last years. |
Crack sealing
Crack sealing is done prior to any seal coat applications. If cracks are left unattended, water is able to penetrate to the base soaking and swelling the base thus destroying their strength and load bearing capabilities. It is evidenced by "alligator" cracking, sunken areas, and eventually potholes. Cracks at least 1/8" or wider should be treated with a least a cold pour sealant which will seal the cracks for a year or so. For a longer term repair, hot poured cracks sealant should be used. Hot Pour crack sealant remains flexible for a longer period of time and if used the crack repair can remain effective for 3-7 years. |
Sealcoating
Asphalt pavements, like other construction materials, have a service life, which can be extended through proper maintenance by protecting them from the damaging elements of weather, salts, chemicals, petrochemicals, etc. The general consensus of the industry regarding the life expectancy of an asphalt pavement is approx. 7-10 years without any maintenance. with a proper maintenance schedule of seal coating every 3-4 years For the sake of understanding, the life of an asphalt pavement is the period during which it will preserve its strength to bear the traffic loads for which it is designed. For example a commercial parking lot will need to be repaved after 15-25 years when maintained and only 7-10 years if poorly maintained. cost can be factored by how the sealer will be applied brush or spray 1 coat or 2 also the size of the asphalt the larger the parking lot the less the square foot cost to apply the sealcoat will be. |
And that’s how asphalt driveway sealing cost is determined! In my opinion, any contractor who is willing to throw out a number without any knowledge of any of the things mentioned above, should ALWAYS preface their answer by saying “I’d have to see it to be 100% accurate but…” and then give you a budget number.
Asphalt maintenance is a cost effective a way to make your property more attractive to costumers.
And to protect your investment in your home driveway
This is a step by step process of how we estimate and repair asphalt
Asphalt maintenance is a cost effective a way to make your property more attractive to costumers.
And to protect your investment in your home driveway
This is a step by step process of how we estimate and repair asphalt