Each summer, millions of homeowners flock like geese to their local home improvement store to lug back numerous 5-gallon buckets of "premium" latex driveway sealant. Unbeknownst to them they have just set their newly paved driveway up for certain disaster...
First off, in order to understand why it's not a very good idea to use any latex-based product to seal your driveway, we must look at an example:
Pretend for a minute that you have just sealed your new driveway with the buckets. After wiping the excess sweat from your brow, you step back and gloat in accomplishment for a job well done.
After several months pass though you start to see tiny cracks at the surface of your driveway that seem to be forming a pattern. You know that the best way to fill all those cracks would be to seal your driveway again in the spring.
To your chagrin however, the cracks have gotten even bigger. You ask to yourself: "Why me? What have I done to my driveway!"
The story you have just heard is all too familiar and it is a result of mis-education by the entire paving industry. To understand fully about why this occurs, me must look at the physics. Boring yes but equally important!
The cracks that are forming are a direct result of the expansion and contraction of the latex sealant on the driveway. As the latex loses it's elasticity, it separates causing little "islands" of sealant that is commonly know as alligatoring.
The alligatoring condition will actually speed up the destruction of asphalt by "channeling" water into the cracks. During the winter, the water will also expand and then contract spreading the cracks further open.
Is this one big asphalt conspiracy? Will we ever know the truth about the buckets?
It is my sole duty to bring awareness to all homeowners about the danger of latex abuse, for the sake of us all, and for our driveways.
-Kraig
Owner - SealTECH Sealcoating
