Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:
Category: Asphalt Product: Acrylic sealer for Asphalt Driveways
Temperature Limitations: Above +10 C (+50 F) and below +30 C (+85 F)
Rain Limitations: No rain for 24 hours
Wind Limitations: n/a
Humidity Limitations: n/a
Continuous Conditions: No freezing for 24 hours
Comments: Prepare driveway by filling holes and cracks. Let filler cure for 90 days before applying sealer! Prime stains. Wet driveway and sweep off puddles. Let thin coat set for 1 hour then apply second coat. There must be no rain or extreme temperatures for 24 hours after application. Product requires 3 hours of sunlight for cure (UV exposure) -- 24h of clouds is not good enough.
Weather limitations on most renovation products can be located on the WEATHER tab above.
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APPLICATION / INSTALLATION DETAILS
Sealers for asphalt driveways can give a new appearance to a driveway but at the same time initiate a maintenance cycle of re-sealing every few years.
One of the preparation requirements for all driveway coatings is to clean the surface first so I would recommend starting with one non-solvent bio-degradable oil cleaner that works wonders on asphalt as well as concrete and paving stones -- OIL-LIFT. You may decide that it comes clean enough that you don't want to apply a sealer at all.
Prior to applying a sealer you must repair any cracks. Click here for information on CRACK SEALER FOR ASPHALT DRIVEWAYS.
One important detail is that most acrylic sealers (the best quality available) require up to 90 days cure time for the crack fillers before applying the sealer over the top -- so plan your project early in the summer or you may run out of good weather before getting to the sealer.
Another interesting detail is that asphalt driveway sealers actually need 3 hours of UV exposure to cure -- so simply waiting 24 hours is not good enough if the sun didn't shine for at least 3 hours. Keep the cars off until you get both 24 hours of the product on the ground and 3 hours of sunshine on the product -- or even more if required by a particular product.
Car tires are hot and heavy and can easily damage what looks like a nice finish.
For details on using sealers see DRIVEWAY SEALERS.