How to seal blacktop driveway ?

Question

I had a new blacktop driveway on my home done last year. I am looking to seal it for the first time. I have never done this. What tools are involved. Also I saw Home Depot has Henrys blacktop sealant on sale. Is this a good product to use. How long before anyone can drive on it. What prep work is needed.

Answer 1

talk to the guy at yer dyi place, home depot

u will need a brush, squeegie tool, they will know..theres about 7 different sealers all with different year warranties that depends on how often you want to reseal it

for prep a good pressure washer will usually do the trick, if u have big oil stains that wont come out maybe try some muriatic acid or something, but in any case just make sure u find someone at the depot with some actual knowlege, dont listen to the kid that was working at mcdonalds up untill last week

Answer 2

Henry's is a pretty good product.  There are others, of course.  Use the sealer only.  It has a 2 year warranty.  They recommend a stiff brush application, but since the drive is pretty new, I would use (and I do use) a long handled driveway squeegee.  Really, that's about it.  You'll have to stay off of the driveway anywhere between 24-48 hours.  I do my drive every 2-3 years, and it's due now.  I broom clean it and hose it down the night before.  If it's a hot day, you can lightly spray the surface with water before application.

Answer 3

You can use any black top sealer if you want to do it yourself.  You can also get someone to do it for you for a couple of hundred dollars if you don;t want to be bothered.

When I had mine done they reccommended I wait 1 year before sealing it.  They told me to just clean it and let it dry before sealing it.

Answer 4

You can call a asphalt maintenance person to come do it for you and it will take a LOT less time. Not to mention the quality of the sealer is MUCH better.

If you insist on doing it yourself be sure to clean your driveway of debris (with air not water), trim around the edges so you get the whole thing, and squeegee it on from a bucket.

Be sure to wear gloves & clothes that you don't care about. It can be very messy.