Driveway Sealcoating in Kansas City, MO

Sealcoating is maintenance, not a repair, and it has trade-offs. It has to be redone every few years, it doesn't fix cracks, potholes or a failing base, and the driveway is off-limits while it cures. Fresh sealer can be slick when wet and can track onto garage floors if it's driven on too soon. There are also material choices: coal-tar sealers contain high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and a number of cities and some states restrict them, so many contractors now use asphalt-emulsion or other alternatives. Ask which product a contractor uses and why.

Usually a few hours before you can walk on it and about a day or two before you can drive on it, but weather decides. Sealer cures fastest on warm, sunny, breezy days and slowest in cool, humid or shaded conditions, so a driveway sealed on a mild Kansas City morning may cure faster than one done in the evening. Most products need temperatures above about 50°F during and after application and no rain for at least a day. Your contractor should give you a specific no-drive window for the product and conditions.