Have a question?
Here are some of the common questions we get asked most often.
I am scheduled for sealcoating. What do I need to do before you arrive?
If you have an automatic sprinkler system, please have it turned off for the day of your application. Next, please have your outside water source turned on, as we will need access to water. Finally, be sure any parked cars are moved off of the driveway.
Do I need to be home for my appointment?
No, there is no need for you to be home while we are completing the job.
What time of day will your crew arrive?
Our crew will arrive sometime between 8:00am and 6:00pm depending on where you are located in the schedule. Feel free to give us a call the day of application if you need a more specific estimated time window.
How long do we need to stay off the driveway after sealing?
You can usually walk on your driveway after 4-6 hours. The best way to tell if it’s safe to walk on is when you see that the coating has turned a solid black color and is dry to the touch. You can drive on it the following day.
How often should I seal my driveway?
New asphalt should be sealed anytime after the first 6 months of curing. For long term maintenance, sealing every 2 or 3 years works best. The sealer should then gradually wear off over this time period, at which time the next sealcoating should be completed. Proper sealcoating will approximately double the lifespan of your asphalt.
What's unique about Superior Asphalt?
We apply our sealer by hand using a 60-inch wide professional soft-neoprene squeegee instead of the more commonly used brush application. Our customers tell us they like the smooth, even coating of the squeegee application as opposed to a brush which leaves tiny marks from the bristles running across the driveway.
Secondly, we seal just up to the edge of the asphalt and do not touch your concrete or house. Other companies sometimes attempt to apply black material into the joint. This black material cracks and deteriorates over the following years, and leaves its unsightly black remnants on the concrete and/or house in between the garage doors. Our process leaves the property much cleaner long term.
Do you fill joints or seams?
We don’t recommend, or offer, filling joints, as any joint filler will deteriorate over the winters leaving and ugly “cracked” looking joint. This can leave behind “remnants” of that old filler on the concrete lip of your garage floor indefinitely. Conversely, our process keeps the joints “clean” by sealing just up to the edge of the asphalt without ever touching your concrete or house.
If you have a settling problem at your top joint, adding a joint filler will not affect this one way or the other. Actually, the only way to fix a settling problem is to tear out the top portion of the driveway, re-compace the baase, and re-pave level with the garage floor. We call this “Apron Repair.” For more info and pricing, click here.
I see tire marks on my driveway. Is this normal?
Coal Tar sealers are now banned by the State of Minnesota. The new environmentally friendly Asphalt Emulsion sealer is slightly softer than Coal Tar, so some tire marking (worse with heavy vehicles or trailers) is not uncommon, especially in the first 3-6 months. Tire tracking typically fades over time especially after 6 months.
Why does my driveway look different than my neighbors?
Every driveway is different and unique and very few driveways look exactly the same over time. The look of each driveway depends on a multitude of factors like age, quality of initial grade of asphalt and installation, settling or ground movement, timing, previous sealer treatments, severity of winter and snow removal methods, oil from cars and other stains, etc. As a result, while our crews use exactly the same product and application method on every driveway, each one turns out a little different based on the condition of the surface before we arrive.
Will sealcoating change the level or contour of my driveway?
Sealcoating does not change the level or contour of the driveway. It seals the existing surface, but does not create a new surface. Asphalt sealer penetrates the asphalt to seal and prolong its life. But any dips, low spots, pits, surface cracks, gashes, etc. will still be there after sealing. To eliminate these would require a new asphalt driveway.
What kind of sealer do you use?
Coal Tar sealers are now banned by the State of MN. All Minnesota sealcoating companies now use the more environmentally friendly Asphalt emulsion sealer. We use the highest grade of sealer made by the top manufacturer in the country Star-Seal. For more specifics please go to the national Star-Seal website at www.starseal.com, or the local Star-Seal site at www.starsealmn.com
What's your guarantee?
We can’t guarantee the amount of wear through Minnesota winters. (This is the industry standard in Minnesota). Driveways can have dirt and/or impurities imbedded into the asphalt, or residue sealer from previous sealcoating (if sealed previously), which can sometimes impede getting a perfect bond on 100% of the surface.
If an area is not cleaned properly, peeling would occur within 1-3 months. So we do guarantee (on previously unsealed asphalt no more than 3 years old) that there will be no major peeling before the first snowfall of the season the sealer was applied.
We apply the highest quality contractors grade sealcoat, which will typically wear off gradually over a 2-3 year period, but sometimes more especially through harsh winters.
