Is sealing asphalt driveway really necessary?
Q. I bought our house new four years ago. When the house was new, the asphalt driveway was all black, but now looks gray like the road in front of my house. Neither driveway nor roadway have ever been “sealed” with an asphalt sear that I’ve seen. Is it worth the investment in my time and money to seal or have my driveway sealed with an asphalt sealer? Do you have any information that shows that sealing one’s driveway yields a longer driveway life? A. I can’t put my hands on any scientific life cycle cost comparison data for periodic sealing asphalt driveways because I don’t have to. It’s sort of like changing the oil in your car after three thousand miles of driving or painting peeling woodwork – it comes under the heading of preventative maintenance. Coating a driveway with asphalt sealer not only looks good, but would postpone the day when a repaving job would be needed. Asphalt driveways and roads are made from a material combining gravel with hot asphalt and rolling it into a smoot
