Seal Coating Your Driveway for Dummies

One reason to seal coat the driveway yourself would be to save on the cost of labor. This would end up saving you anywhere from $300 - $1000. A team of professional seal coaters usually consists of three people that make money based on the quantity of driveways they complete in one day. Therefore, if three guys can rush through a residential seal coating job and still have time to complete three other driveways that day, it goes to show that seal coating isn't really that hard. Make sure you have a week without rain and the temperature is warm but not hot.

DAY ONE

The first day is mainly prep work. Remove all weeds that are growing out of the cracks of the driveway. You can use your hands, but make sure that you remove the roots or as much of the weed as possible. Sometimes it is necessary to use a sharp, pointy object like a screwdriver or industrial strength weed killer. Next, remove all the dust on the driveway with a push broom and / or leaf blower. Make sure all the dust is off of the driveway, for the dust and tiny pebbles are what cause imperfections during the seal coating process. Purchase some crack filler from the local hardware store unless you don't have any cracks whatsoever. The "cold" types are easiest, for they do not require heat to be malleable. Some come in a jug with any easy pour spout. Others come in tiny plastic buckets. When filling in the cracks make sure you don't overfill the cracks, as this will cause smearing and an obvious overfilled texture after seal coating. After all the cracks and holes are filled, use masking tape to cover the trim (the sides of the house, railroad ties, sidewalks, etc.).

DAY TWO