I need to have my asphalt driveway resealed this spring. I am toying with the idea of doing it myself, but have never done it before. Has anyone here done it themselves, and if so, is it worth saving some $$ and doing it yourself or is it best to hire someone to do it?

 

I always did this job myself Shane, although I did have it done once or twice professionally and my application was much better. It will only cost you 1/4 the price if you do it yourself.
I preferred using the emulsified coal tar emulsion when I did it, since I just wanted the protection along with a satin black appearance rather than glossy black.
It's a pretty simple task, just do it early morning so you can avoid the hot sun reflecting off the new blacktop because you can get very sunburnt from this, believe me.

 

I haven't done it before myself so don't know much about it. I would talk to a few experts in the business first. They'll probably discourage you but you might learn something. As well I would try and source some good product that's not just the regular stuff from a hardware store. I do that with the epoxy sealer I use on my aggregate driveway every couple of years. It's expensive but gives a beautiful finish and lasts better than basic stuff I've seen at Home Depot.

EDIT: I see the voice of experience above has given you some good advice.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. From what I understand, professionals either roll it on or spray it on. I am not sure what method is better, but I think I would be a little concerned about the spraying method. I wouldn't want any of the overspray (if there is any) to get all over my house and garage.

If I can do it for 1/4 of the cost of getting it done professionally, I might opt going that route. I just don't want to waste my time applying some crappy product that doesn't last. Wayne, where do you typically buy your stuff at?

 

Not familiar with this either......(used have gravel until 5yr ago)
Is sealing something that NEEDS to be done, or is just for appearance?

Where we are I really prefer it grayed off, looks more natural.

 

Shane I always just bought it at Home hardware or Crappy Tire or the local Building Supply. I would buy it on sale and my applications generally looked good for a few years before I reapplied. I always rolled it on. You can get the long hanled roller for this at the same stores. Just wear an old pair of boots, and jeans.
Don't wear shorts. I did that one year and got severely sunburned. When I tried to remove the splattered sealer from my sunburned legs, it was torture .

My driveway is almost 40 years old and is finally started to show it's age. I am just now considering getting it torn up and an interlocking brick driveway installed.

 

From my understanding, sealing asphalt prevents the oils in the asphalt from evaporating, which causes cracking. Not sure how true that is though.

 

It is sealed just to fill up any minor little cracks etc. The emulsion fills these small voids. The biggest bonus I found was because of the rich black surface, it would attract the suns heat and the driveway would be basically ice free thru the winter. There is a noticeble difference.

 

Thanks again Wayne!

 

Even having an asphalt drive makes a huge difference. We put one in at my last house and it's much better with ice/snow than what I have now. A few places on my street have asphalt versus aggregate and they really melt snow/ice on sunny days.

 

One important warning.

If you do get it Professionally sprayed, or your neighbor does. Watch Out One year My neighbor a good 100feet away had his driveway sprayed. I came home from work and decided to take my bright red 340 Duster for a spin. I walked up to it and OMG , the thing was covered with black dots and they would not simply rub off. I noticed he had his driveway done. I exploded, I jumped in the car and located the people doing the spraying. I jumped out ofthe car like a madman yelling and screaming at these dudes. I had kill in my eyes. They gave me enough money to get the car professionally detailed and I actually did it myself. It did come off with lots of work.
Just thought I would warn you about that.

 

Good story Wayne.

Two weekends ago I was at the gym. It was a gorgeous, sunny, warm but breezy Saturday am. I parked my car about 200 feet away from the nearest car on the outer edge of the lot. I came out about 2 hours later and saw a yellow marking machine. The idiots had just remarked about half of the lot where there were no cars not even missing where I was parked. I couldn't believe my eyes!!!

I did a fine tooth inspection and to my surprise not a speck of yellow paint. Good thing or there would have been hell to pay.

 

^^ Having a hard time picturing you losing it like that, Wayne, but hey we all have our limits, especially if you mess with our cars!!

Shane, I've sealed many many miles of asphalt when I worked road construction, but afraid I have no advice for just doing a driveway. We sprayed it with a big tanker and followed along with a chipcoat spreader. Probably not the solution you're looking for.

 

Shane,

Maybe you should give a call to the local paving company and see what they suggest.
Some say not to seal, some do. I learned a lesson when we had our new driveway instaled. Wait a couple of years before you seal and like Wayne suggested, use an oil based tar emuslsin. Stay away from acrylic sealers( on newer driveways) as they will tend to crack like what happened to me.

Its not a hard job to do. Best to do it on a dull day so the tar will apply easier. Check the forcast!!!!

 

Shane, this will be a piece of cake for you to do yourself. I would definitely do this myself. Just buy the product at a hardware store (home depot, lowes) and the tools for it as well. Roll it on like you would paint, and you'll be golden.