A Premium Guide to Seal Coating

Sealcoating have been an indispensable part of asphalt pavement maintenance processes since long, it is imperative to recognize that sealcoatings are engineered products that must be used with a thorough understanding of their performance properties which, in turn, are accomplished through proper steps encompassing project planning, execution and management of sealcoating projects.
Before you look for asphalt paving in Abington, these are the crucial things you need to know.

Components of sealcoating:

In appearance sealcoatings look like thick semi-fluid in dark-chocolate brown with water-based coatings. They are essentially fine dispersions of binders that include commonly refined tar, specialty resins, and asphalt, clays, fillers, and specialty chemicals in a medium of water. The four major components in sealcoatings are:

a)    Binder: The backbone of sealcoating compositions, binder is the one that is responsible for imparting protection, preservation and beauty, while bonding tenaciously to the asphalt pavement.

b)    Clay and fillers: These impart tensile strength, hardness and resistance to abrasion. It’s vital to maintain the proper balance between the toughness and flexibility of the sealcoating for its proper functioning.

c)    Water: The dispersion medium which offers the ease in handling, application and storage and where all the ingredients stay stably dispersed.

d)    Specialty chemicals: Specific functions like water repellency, flexibility, specific resistance to salts and petrochemicals are performed by these chemicals while maintaining the physical stability of the sealcoating.

Steps of sealcoating process, as practiced by the professional contractors:

• If required, they patch or seal cracks to prepare the road surface prior to sealing.

• A mixture of asphalt combined with water is then sprayed on the road surface. The water in this mixture starts to evaporate immediately.

• Immediately after spraying the asphalt-water mixture, a layer of gravel is spread over the surface.

• Next, the gravel is compacted and embedded into the asphalt with rollers. In some cases, sand is applied to assist in the consolidation and curing process. Despite the high-pressure rollers, some gravel will not become embedded in the asphalt.

• The surface is allowed to cure for up to two days while the water continues to evaporate.  Hot, dry summer days help speed this process. Traffic can pass over this surface at reduced speeds during the curing process.

• Finally, the sealcoated surface is swept to eliminate any loose gravel.

Sealcoating in Taunton or Abington or anywhere in Massachusetts is provided by Heap Paving & Sealcoating by the expert contractors. Contact them on http://www.heappaving.com or at (508) 456-6363 for a free estimate.