Sealcoating is one of the best-value maintenance items in pavement, but only when it is done properly. A bad sealcoat job is not just wasted money. It can peel, flake and leave a driveway looking worse than before, and it can hide problems that should have been fixed. These are the mistakes we most often see when we are called to redo work in Orlando, Kissimmee and the surrounding area.
Sealing over dirt and organic growth
Sealer bonds to asphalt. It does not bond to sand, leaf litter, pollen or the film of algae that grows on shaded driveways in Winter Park and Maitland. If the surface is not thoroughly cleaned first, the sealer sits on top of the debris and lifts off with it. A proper job starts with blowing, sweeping and, where needed, pressure washing, and it does not begin until the surface is dry.
Skipping crack repair
Sealcoat is a surface treatment. It is not thick enough or flexible enough to bridge a crack, and it will not stop water getting in through one. Cracks need to be cleaned out and hot-filled with rubberised sealant first, then allowed to cure, then sealcoated over. Skipping that step means the driveway looks uniform for a few weeks and then the cracks reappear with the water damage still progressing underneath. Our crack filling guide explains why this step cannot be skipped.
Ignoring oil spots
Oil and fuel soften asphalt and repel sealer. Spots under where a car parks need to be cleaned and treated with an oil-spot primer before sealer goes on, or the sealer will not adhere there and the spot will show through within a season.
Applying it too thin or too thick
- Too thin: a single, over-diluted coat gives a cosmetic colour change that wears off the wheel paths within months. It looks like a job was done, but the protection is not there.
- Too thick: heavy puddled sealer takes far longer to cure, tracks onto sidewalks and garage floors, and can crack as it dries. Two properly measured coats beat one heavy one.
Getting the weather wrong
Sealer needs a dry surface, warm temperatures and time to set before rain arrives. In Central Florida's summer that means an early start and a hard look at the radar, because an afternoon storm on a coat that has not cured will wash it straight into the gutter. Cold, damp mornings in the winter months can also slow curing enough to cause problems. Our post on sealcoat cure time in Florida humidity goes into the detail.
A sealcoat that peels within a year almost always failed on the day it went down, not the day it came up.
Sealing asphalt that has not cured
New asphalt needs to release its binder oils before it can be sealed. Coat it too early and the sealer traps those oils, stays soft and often blotches. We cover the timing in how long to wait before sealcoating new asphalt.
Sealing pavement that is past saving
Sealcoat protects sound asphalt. It does nothing for pavement with alligator cracking, base failure or deep rutting. Spending money on sealer in those situations delays a decision that has already been made by the pavement. A good contractor will tell you when the answer is repair or resurfacing rather than another coat.
If a previous sealcoat has already failed on your driveway, the fix is not another coat over the top. The loose material has to be scraped and washed off, the surface allowed to dry, and the job started again from preparation. Sealing over a peeling coat simply gives the new layer something else to peel away with.
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Iron Ridge Pavement gives upfront, no-obligation pricing on paving, sealcoating, striping and repairs across Florida.
Iron Ridge Pavement LLC preps, repairs and sealcoats driveways and lots across Orlando, Sanford, Apopka and Central Florida. Request an estimate and we will tell you honestly what your pavement needs.
