Using paving sealer to increase the lifetime of your paved surface. Paving a driveway or poolside involves a lot of effort and money. To ensure the longevity and preserve the enchanting look for the years to come, one must apply appropriate sealant on the surface. There are different types of sealants available on the market, and it is tough to determine which one will suit your pavement best. At this moment we will be familiar with a paving sealer and it’s application.

PROPERTIES:

General properties of the sealing materials are adhesion, fast hardening, oil repellency and water repellency. As stains start to accumulate on any surface mainly using oil or water as the base, if the sealants are water and oil repellent the finishing of the surface will sustain for years. Where buying sealant makes sure, it is a ‘repellent’ not ‘resistant.’

FACTORS:

When selecting sealant for commercial or domestic projects the thing needs to be taken into consideration are durability, slip resistance, stain resistance and cost.

CLASSIFICATIONS:

All the sealer available in the market can be classified broadly into two categories coatings and impregnators. Coatings or surface sealers work just like paint. Their effects fade away very fast, so these are not recommendable for decorative and costly pavings. Impregnators can go deep into the tiny granules of the surface and fill up microscopic interstices, capillaries of the surface. So regarding quality and duration, these are far better than coatings. You can also use a color enhancer for a glossy finish of your pavement. To achieve optimal performance one can apply two coats of color enhancer and apply a wet-look sealant. You will surely be surprised by the dramatic improvement of the color depth and contrast.

COMPARISONS:

The sealants of coating types are inexpensive, and they have a bit slip resistance. Moreover, they are easy to apply and sets very fast. But they need frequent maintenance and development patches quite easily. They tend to trap moisture within the pavement causing damage. Also, most coating sealants lose its color and shine under exposure to direct sunlight.

The impregnator ones are more stable than the former. They have a long durability and ray resistant which ensures color retention qualities. These sealants are a bit expensive and need the expertise to apply. Impregnators sometime use harmful chemicals as the base, so they are not that much eco-friendly.

APPLICATION:

Before applying any sealant makes sure the surface is dry enough. If a bit of moisture is present, being unable to evaporate, it will make the surface sweat. So sealants will lose its adhesion causing damage. Pavement sealing needs at least three consecutive dry and sunny days. The temperature of the atmosphere should be above 10 degree Celsius. May to October is the perfect time for getting your sealing job done.

After completion of the paving, it proves to wait at least 4-6 weeks to season it. Also, if there are any discrepancies they will be noticeable, and you can easily repair. Because, after applying the sealant if cracks appear on the pavement, you will not be able to do any curing. Moreover, the surface should be free of sorts, oils or any other contaminants before applying. Just keep all the facts of the above discussion and you will able to select perfect sealant for your pavement yourself and supervise the entire project of your home like a seasoned expert!