Choosing an asphalt sealer for a driveway or parking lot can become complicated. You must consider numerous factors, including the shorter season of reasonable weather in Canada. Driveway sealcoating and related activities are necessary, and so is examining which products work best for your projects.

Coal Tar Sealer

Coal tar sealcoating is a common choice for driveways. It forms a tough protective barrier over your asphalt. That’s the purpose of the driveway and parking lot sealcoating, after all. Coal tar sealer is primarily derived from coal and is an economical option.

Using a coal tar sealer for driveway sealcoating is common since it is durable and cost-effective. It’s also been a standard option for the longest time. You can dilute the coal tar sealer or mix it with other compounds without affecting the quality. However, most do not while doing blacktop sealer. 

Unfortunately, the coal tar sealer is sometimes tricky to use in Canada. The sealcoating requires decent weather to set up initially. Additionally, this asphalt driveway sealer does not handle the freeze-thaw cycle well. It expands and retracts with the temperature, which is less than ideal.

Confirm you can use a coal tar sealer in your local area before purchasing. Some places ban the use of coal tar sealer.

Oil-Based Sealer

Oil-based asphalt sealers work well in Canada. Instead of sitting on top of the driveway, the asphalt emulsion penetrates the top few driveway layers. This application means it revitalizes the asphalt itself and brings moisture back to the asphalt. Oil-based blacktop sealer is sometimes called liquid asphalt.

Generally speaking, oil-based sealer does not expand and contract as much as other options for blacktop sealers. This property makes it a great choice to handle Canadian winters. However, since it does not form a solid barrier, it does not help quite as much with spills and weather exposure. That does not mean it will not last for years though.

The other trade-off for a longer time between driveway sealcoatings with asphalt emulsion is the dry time. The oil-based sealer needs at least 24 hours to dry, during which nothing should be on it. That’s a long time to close access to a garage. Additionally, the product will not settle to the expected matte black immediately.

Diamond Shield Fortifier

Using a fortifier is a newer trick. This addition speeds up the drying process of your asphalt driveway sealer project, regardless of whether your choice is an asphalt emulsion or coal tar. That means your team can get to any painting quicker and reopen driveways faster. It also extends the sealcoating season in colder climates like Canada.

Choosing the right asphalt driveway or parking lot sealer can become complicated. You will need to evaluate the options as well as the necessary paperwork before making the decision on which sealer your company will employ regularly.