When you're trying to protect your driveway from weather damage, a good sealcoat does a lot to help. However, the best driveway sealcoating in Madison, LaCrosse, Sun Prairie, or Fitchburg, Wisconsin, is something that can take a lot of work to get right. Many people don't properly prepare their driveway or experience a broad array of different mistakes. The following issues are among the most common and are quite easy to avoid if you are smart about how you handle them and their upgrades.
Problems With Bonding
The most common problem that you're likely to experience when working with driveway sealcoating is bonding problems. These issues develop when you don't take the time to apply the sealcoat to the surface of your driveway properly. Many people either don't know how to prepare the surface of their pavement or don't fully understand the application methods necessary. Thankfully, avoiding this problem is easier than you might anticipate and doesn't require a lot of excessive work from you or your pavement installation experts either.
For example, some people don't take the time to clean the surface of their driveway before adding a sealcoat. This issue is probably the most common contributing factor to bonding failure. That's because dirt, dust, mold, and other types of debris will complicate the curing process and make it more difficult for a sealcoat to settle on your pavement. As a result, it is more likely to fall off and cost you a lot of money, even if it takes years to flake off and peel over the years.
And remember: you need to make sure to evenly apply sealcoat over the surface of your driveway to keep it as secure as possible. Too many people don't pay attention to this facet and apply their coatings unevenly or with little care. When they behave in this negligent way, they increase the risk of damage to their sealcoat and its likelihood to peel or fall off. Therefore, you should make sure to work with professionals who fully understand this process and who can do it properly for your needs.
Failure to Repair Cracks and Breaks
Ignoring pavement imperfections is another preparation mistake that many make when adding a sealcoat to their driveway. There are many reasons you may not want to take the time to do these simple repairs. First of all, you may want to avoid bad weather before you add your sealcoat. This extra time allows your coating time to cure and sit properly. However, you may also think that you can't afford repairs before you sealcoat. That's where you are wrong because you'll cost yourself a lot more money if you sealcoat a damaged driveway.
For example, problems such as alligator cracks, oil spots, and other types of pavement problems will complicate the success rate of your driveway sealcoating . That's because this process is not designed to fix repairs at all. Instead, your sealcoat is likely to worsen when applied to these areas. These issues include sealcoats filling up the cracks on your driveway or covering up mold or other matters without adequately getting rid of them. In this way, your sealcoat is going to be in fairly rough shape.
Therefore, you need to contact experts to repair your pavement before you add any sealcoat to your driveway surface. Failure to do so will ultimately result in you having to call these professionals anyway. They'll have to repair any damage caused by poor sealcoat application and to keep your driveway as secure as possible. So please don't make this mistake, but call them up before you add a sealcoat. You'll be glad that you took the time to make your driveway as secure as possible before sealing it.
Adding a Sealcoat Too Soon
Lastly, people often don't add driveway sealcoating at the proper time. That's because they are usually in a hurry and think that they need to add one to their driveway much too soon. This mistake is understandable but can be a costly one for many homeowners. For example, you need to wait at least 90 days before you add any sealcoat to your pavement. This time lets the pavement cure and dry properly.
However, it would help if you also made sure that the surface of the driveway is at 70 degrees Fahrenheit during that time as well. If the temperature drops too much during this period, you may have to wait longer for the driveway to properly cure. So, you may even want to wait for 100 to 110 days before you add any curing substance. If you don't, you may end up causing damage that you can't repair.
After this time has passed, you then need to perform a water-break-free test by placing a gallon of clean water over the surface of the driveway. When you do this test, the water should sheet out across the water without experiencing any oil rings or crawling. If it does, you need to wait longer because your driveway still hasn't adequately cured or dried from its initial installation.
Aiming for "Cheapness" Instead of Quality
When you're getting driveway sealcoating , you may be tempted to pay as little as possible for the process. We can understand this thought process. After all, who doesn't want to save a little money and keep their pavement as strong as possible? However, we strongly suggest that you always aim for quality over saving money. That's because a high-quality driveway sealcoat will not only protect your driveway better than cheaper options but also cost you less money over the years.
First of all, a more expensive sealcoat is usually one that contains better-quality ingredients and is designed to last for years. In this way, you don't have to worry so much about maintaining your driveway or paying for extra money to get new sealcoats. Just as importantly, you won't have to keep the surface as much, either, which ultimately saves you money by preventing the need for various repairs and other care techniques on your sealcoat surface.
Therefore, you need to do what you can to choose a sealcoat that is as high-quality as possible. These steps include reaching out to the experts who you plan on hiring for this process. Ask them about the prices of their sealcoats, as well as the brands that they use. Then, you can research these brands on your own to ensure that you are getting only the best. In this way, you make sure that the quality of your driveway's protective surface is as high as you deserve.
Get the Help That You Need
As you can see, the best driveway sealcoating in Onalaska, Middleton, Waunakee, or Baraboo, Wisconsin, doesn't have to be a complicated process. You'll need to do a little proper preparation and work with the most trustworthy companies that you can find. That's where we come into play. At Custom Sealcoating, we provide some of the most comprehensive and high-quality help that you need for your sealcoating. Our experts fully understand this process and how to keep your driveway secure and protected.