How To Seal Your Driveway To Return It To Its "Just Paved" Glory

Here's How:

1. By hand, remove weeds, rocks, dirt, and other obstructions from cracks in the asphalt. Use a screwdriver or trowel. If you have large holes that need filling, use QPR 50 Lb. High Performance Pavement Patch or similar product.
2. Clean oil off of driveway with the oil cleaner if you have stubborn oil stains.
3. Apply the asphalt cleaner.
4. Thoroughly pressure-wash the surface. Wait until driveway is completely dry.
5. Apply the asphalt crack sealer.
6. Seal driveway by using squeegee to spread asphalt sealer in series of passes parallel to the house. Let dry according to product instructions.
7. Now, seal driveway by using squeegee to spread asphalt sealer in series of passes perpendicular to the house. Let dry according to product instructions.

Tips:

1. Be aware that asphalt driveway sealing will not cure ripples and bumps. Driveway sealing means putting down a thin layer of liquid sealant. It is different from asphalt paving.
2. When pressure-washing, make sure that all water is moved off and away from the surface. Otherwise, the junk will remain on the driveway--just distributed in different places!
3. You can use either crack filler that says "hot applied," like Pli-Stix (requiring the use of a torch) or a product that applies cold, such as Latex-ite Premium Blacktop Crack Filler. Hot-applied crack filler tends to have a longer lifespan but can be more difficult to apply correctly.
4. The trick to achieving a smooth finish free of brush strokes is to use the checkerboard technique described above. First, strokes parallel to house. Second, strokes perpendicular to house. Checkerboard just describes the process; the resulting finish will not have a checkerboard pattern if done correctly.

What You Need

• Pressure washer (this can be rented at most rental yards)
• Asphalt cleaner, such as Latex-ite Driveway Cleaner/Degreaser Powerwash
• Oil cleaner, for stubborn stains (optional)
• Wire brushes
• Asphalt crack filler (if you have cracks)
• QPR 50 Lb. High Performance Pavement Patch (only if you have larger holes)
• Driveway sealer, such as Latexite® Ultra Shield™ Driveway Treatment
• Stiff broom
• Old screwdriver
• Squeegee