Driveway sealcoating for Treasure Valley homeowners
Cleaned, cracks filled, two sprayed coats. $450 to $800 for a typical driveway, with a one year warranty.
- A typical driveway costs $450 to $800, all in. That is $0.20 to $0.60 per square foot with a $450 minimum.
- The price includes cleaning, crack filling and two sprayed coats.
- Reseal every 3 to 5 years. You will see wear around year 3.
- The job takes 2 to 4 hours. Walk on it in about 2 hours, drive on it at 24.
- It will not make a cracked driveway look new. It stops what you have from getting worse.
What it costs to seal a driveway in the Treasure Valley
Typical Driveway
That is $0.20 to $0.60 per square foot. Our minimum is $450, which covers the material, the trip to go get it, and a share of running trucks, trailers, skid steers and insurance.
This covers cleaning, crack filling and sealcoating with our one year warranty.
[PENDING: Ask owner for a real worked example with SqFt and final price]Why two driveways the same size cost different amounts
A driveway that has not been sealed in several years drinks more sealer per square foot, because dried out asphalt absorbs it instead of holding it on the surface. Deep cracks do the same thing: the longer and deeper they run, the more material they take to fill. Access matters too. If we cannot get equipment close, the job takes longer.
Doing it yourself costs more than people expect
If you already own the tools, budget another $200 to $300 in materials. Bucket sealer runs about three to four times what bulk sealer costs per gallon. If you do not own the tools, you need wire brooms, a backpack blower, a weed eater, a crack fill machine with a propane tank and a torch, and horse hair brushes to cut in the edges.
Is sealcoating actually worth the money?
Here is the way we think about it. Sealed and crack filled on schedule, an asphalt driveway should last north of 20 years. Skip it long enough and the end of the road is a tear out and repave, and asphalt is running north of $4 a foot right now.
What it will not do
It will not make your driveway look brand new. If you have a pothole or a low spot, you will still see it. What it does is protect what is there from getting worse.
Why people say sealcoating is a scam
Because some contractors water down their sealer. There are a few doing it locally. Watered down sealer is close to black water: it goes on dark, looks great for a week, and then it is gone. That is where the reputation came from, and it is fair.
Read about why sealcoating gets called a scamA check you can do yourself in two minutes
Walk out and look closely at the surface. If it feels porous and little rocks are starting to break free under your hand, it is time.
(This test works perfectly in dry weather, unlike the water-bead test other companies suggest.)
Four signs your driveway is ready
- The surface has gone gray and faded.
- You are finding loose rocks on the driveway that were not there before.
- More cracks are showing up, and the ones you had are getting wider.
- You are about to sell. A sealed driveway changes how the whole front of the house reads.
What happens on the day
- 1
Debris off first
Anything piled against the edges comes out.
- 2
Cleaned until it will bond
Walk-behind blowers, wire brooms, backpack blowers. Sealer over a dirty surface will not stick, and it lifts the first time a car drives over it.
- 3
Cracks filled
Crack filler heated on site, tar over every crack. This happens before any sealer, because sealing over an open crack traps moisture underneath.
- 4
First coat, sprayed
- 5
Edges cut in by hand, second coat
Both coats, every job.
Getting back on it
| Walking on it | About 2 hours (1 hr if > 80°F) |
|---|---|
| Dry to the touch | 2 to 3 hours (30 mins if > 80°F) |
| Driving and parking | 12 hours possible (24 for warranty) |
The one thing that ruins a fresh seal
Cranking your wheels while the car is sitting still. Turn while you are rolling for the first few days.
The best time of year to book
We can work whenever it stays above 40°F for about 95% of the day, and around 80°F is ideal.
Given the choice, book fall. Temperatures are moderate and we get less rain than in spring.
In the Treasure Valley, November through March brings 55.6% of the year's precipitation, so a driveway sealed in the fall goes into the wet season already protected.
When you should just do it yourself
If the driveway is small and you already own the tools, do it yourself. We will tell you that on the estimate.
Two things go wrong when homeowners do it. The first is too much sealer, which makes the coating flake and come off in sheets. The second is not cleaning properly, after which the sealer never bonds and lifts as soon as a car drives on it.
[PENDING: year, city and repave cost for that job]
My driveway is brand new. When should I seal it?
Manufacturers usually say wait a year. Once the surface oils have worn off you can seal within a few months, and 6 to 12 months is what we recommend.
If you would rather not spend on sealcoating that early, crack fill every year instead and seal when you are ready.