Sealed my driveway and now have problems!

[White Shadow]

So about two months ago I decided to buy some "Airport" grade driveway sealer from Home Depot and seal my driveway, which is about one and a half years old. As far as I know, I did everything correctly--cleaned the driveway, mixed the sealer really well (got a cheap mixer from HF that attached to a drill), applied it on an 80 degree day with a squeegee, and didn't drive any cars on the driveway for four days. The weather was perfect with hot days and no rain for more than a week after I finished the driveway.

A few weeks later, I come home during a light rain storm, pull into the garage, and immediately notice dark tire tracks across the concrete apron leading into my garage and into the garage itself. The next day I take the hose out to spray it off and it's not coming off. So I pull out the power washer and it's coming off a little bit, but not completely. So I get an old bristle brush and scrub it by hand. Takes me about an hour, but finally the tire marks are gone.

Fast forward two weeks later, and the same exact thing happens again. I can't imaging that the sealer hasn't fully cured after all those hot, sunny days. What went wrong? Did anyone ever experience anything like this? I've sealed the driveway in my old house many times and never had something like this happen before.

 

[CJ7VFR]

I don't have an answer for you, so I hope someone else can chime in with some help.

What amazes me is how stuff like works out. The sealer on the driveway is coming loose and not staying in place, but when you tracked some of it onto the garage floor you have to practically sand blast it to get it off!

Seems almost backwards, but this happens to me all the time with stuff. I can paint something, following all the directions on proper prep for the item being painted, like clean the item, sand it, clean it again, use tack rags on it, make sure it is completely dry, and all other things. Then I paint the item only to have the paint not stick to the item.

But damn it if a few drops of that same paint doesn't fall onto my dirty, dusty, wet, oily garage floor under the item I am trying to paint, and those few drops on the floor have dried fast and hard to the floor, and the only thing that can remove them is dynamite....

Jim

 

[ford33]

It may be hot tires are melting the sealer as you drive on the driveway and it is sticking to the tires and then coming off when in contact with the cold garage floor. I don't think you did anything wrong. It is the product itself that is causing the issue.

This likely is not be a product defect.

 

[nes999]

Is this an asphalt or concrete driveway?

Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk

 

[Motown]

I had the same thing happen. The first snowfall, it all came off as the snow melted. I pay to have it done now. And have not had this happen since I have hired it out.

 

[audioworks04]

From your application description I assume that you have an asphalt driveway, as most concrete sealers would not require a squeegee application. I am more versed in concrete construction, as that is my career, but I would guess that the two products did not agree with each other and due to this the adherence is not strong. I would call the sealer manufacture and see if they have any suggestions, it might be as easy as a mild rinse to remove any residual material from the top. Keep us update.

 

[larry_g]

Have you considered a top layer of sand to cover the sticky top of the sealer?

lg
no neat sig line

 

[White Shadow]

Is this an asphalt or concrete driveway?

Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk

Asphalt. I should have said that originally...

 

[White Shadow]

It may be hot tires are melting the sealer as you drive on the driveway and it is sticking to the tires and then coming off when in contact with the cold garage floor. I don't think you did anything wrong. It is the product itself that is causing the issue.

This likely is not be a product defect.

I don't know about that because both times it happened, it was during a light rain. The tires and the driveway were probably both relatively cool since they were wet is what I'd guess. I'm still puzzled.

Also, the driveway itself shows no signs of the sealer coming off or somehow lifting from tires being driven on it.

 

[Scott H in Wheaton]

What did the product manufacturer say when you contacted them?

 

[gnpenning]

I did my own once. .. prepped as per instructions including pressure washed on 1old drive. Bought the best they sold with warranty. Year later most had come up. Company blamed insulation error not product. Go figure., they never have to pay a warranty that way. .

Got me once. Had someone else spray it. Still going strong and was only a little more. My hourly wage was under minimum doing it myself. Plus they had to warranty the product and install.

 

[58Yeoman]

A few years ago, my wife and I spent a whole day doing our long driveway with Menard's best. Next spring most of it was gone. Mfr. said we put it down with low night time temps, wouldn't warranty it. I told him I would notify Menard's and tell them they lost a customer. He refunded our money. I had a local outfit spray it on for less than I paid Menards for the stuff. I had them do it again this year. Much easier and cheaper.

 

[jack stand]

So about two months ago I decided to buy some "Airport" grade driveway sealer from Home Depot and seal my driveway, which is about one and a half years old.

Sorry about your troubles and I have nothing to offer on your "sealer" issue, but why did you seal a 1 1/2 year old driveway?

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Sorry about your troubles and I have nothing to offer on your "sealer" issue, but why did you seal a 1 1/2 year old driveway?

Why seal ANY driveway? It gives no benefit other than asthetics. It's a never ending cycle because they all come off.

Tommy

 

[sixty4]

Why seal ANY driveway? It gives no benefit other than asthetics. It's a never ending cycle because they all come off.

Tommy

I have to disagree. If a crack even a small one gets water in a freeze thaw location it will only get worse. This is why every year around this time you see many towns and Cities go around and fill these, at least here in upstate NY.

 

[thickhead]

Latex-ite?
Have you called them? (203) 272-3221

I have seen instances in the past few years where Dalton Enterprises products do not perform they way they have in the past.

Guessing....either their ingredients/mix components have changed or the current liquid being used to make bituminous concrete (asphalt) has changed...or both.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

My neighbor kinda went through the same thing you are going through. Followed directions to the T and it still lifts/pulls off...looks like ***.

I just call the dudes that extended our driveway and $65 later the driveway is sealed. I don't have to worry about the mess, tools, product and where to store the left over...etc. Prolly not the answer you want to hear but this is one of those times that to me it's easier paying someone that does this for a living and I don't have to muck with it.lol

-Nigel

 

[jack stand]

Why seal ANY driveway? It gives no benefit other than asthetics. It's a never ending cycle because they all come off.

Tommy

Sealing can be a "band-aid" for cracked and deteriorating asphalt keeping some water from passing through to the sub grade and buy you a little time on a failing driveway.
It also prevents sub grade water from evaporating through the surface on a new driveway/road, not good. I've never met a paving contr. that recommended it other than as mentioned above, a band aid. Ever seen a town road or highway sealed other than cracks?

 

[ford33]

We seal coat every two years in my townhome association. Driveways last for 20+ years in Chicago if you take care of them.

 

[White Shadow]

Sorry about your troubles and I have nothing to offer on your "sealer" issue, but why did you seal a 1 1/2 year old driveway?

Protection. I have a big driveway and I want it to last a long time.

Plus it looks nicer with sealer on it. I don't have a picture of just the driveway, but here's a picture of the whole house. To me, the driveway looks great with sealer on it.

 

[White Shadow]

Why seal ANY driveway? It gives no benefit other than asthetics. It's a never ending cycle because they all come off.

Tommy

Gotta disagree. I sealed the driveway twice in the 20 years I lived there and the sealer never came off. The driveway was still in perfect condition when I sold the house. My neighbor never sealed his driveway and he had to have his redone. Both houses were built and the same time and the driveways were done at the same time by the same contractor. So nobody can convince me that driveway sealer is only good for aesthetics.

BTW, my current driveway sealer isn't "coming off" or maybe I should say there's no signs of the sealer lifting from the asphalt. I think there's just some sort of film on top that only becomes a problem after a light rain. We have recently had a really heavy rain in my area, so I'm curious to see if the issue happens again or not.

 

[White Shadow]

... I've never met a paving contr. that recommended it...

Of course you haven't....why would a paving contractor recommend sealing a paved driveway? They'd much rather replace the driveway sooner.

It seems silly to debate whether or not driveway sealer is beneficial to driveways. Maybe next we can talk about how waxing your car isn't beneficial either.

 

[White Shadow]

My neighbor kinda went through the same thing you are going through. Followed directions to the T and it still lifts/pulls off...looks like ***.

I just call the dudes that extended our driveway and $65 later the driveway is sealed. I don't have to worry about the mess, tools, product and where to store the left over...etc. Prolly not the answer you want to hear but this is one of those times that to me it's easier paying someone that does this for a living and I don't have to muck with it.lol

-Nigel

Lucky for me, mine still looks perfect. I considered paying a local guy to seal the driveway, but then it occurred to me that I have no way of knowing what they're using. Could be oily water for all I know. Seriously though, I've seen those guys do the spray on sealer and it is very watery, much more than even the cheapest sealer you find at home centers. For that reason alone, I'd rather do it myself.

 

[thickhead]

... Ever seen a town road or highway sealed other than cracks?

Actually it is done all the time with older, failing pavements as a surface treatment. Usually called “chip sealing” since they cover the liquid with small stone “chips”.

 

[58Yeoman]

Of course you haven't....why would a paving contractor recommend sealing a paved driveway? They'd much rather replace the driveway sooner.

It seems silly to debate whether or not driveway sealer is beneficial to driveways. Maybe next we can talk about how waxing your car isn't beneficial either.

I called a local blacktop contractor about replacing my ~180 driveway. He's the one that recommended sealing to make it last 8 to 10 years longer. Big difference between $500 every three years and $8000 to 10,000 for replacement.

 

[jack stand]

Of course you haven't....why would a paving contractor recommend sealing a paved driveway? They'd much rather replace the driveway sooner.

It seems silly to debate whether or not driveway sealer is beneficial to driveways. Maybe next we can talk about how waxing your car isn't beneficial either.

Read the whole post!
Sealing has it's place on a cracked or deteriorating driveway, and serves no purpose on new. Again, have you ever seen a municipality or state road "sealed" ? No.
There is a technique called "slurry seal" that they do use, again as a "band aid" that is very similar to the old "tar & chip".

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I have to disagree. If a crack even a small one gets water in a freeze thaw location it will only get worse. This is why every year around this time you see many towns and Cities go around and fill these, at least here in upstate NY.

Gotta disagree. I sealed the driveway twice in the 20 years I lived there and the sealer never came off. The driveway was still in perfect condition when I sold the house. My neighbor never sealed his driveway and he had to have his redone.
BTW, my current driveway sealer isn't "coming off" or maybe I should say there's no signs of the sealer lifting from the asphalt. I think there's just some sort of film on top that only becomes a problem after a light rain. We have recently had a really heavy rain in my area, so I'm curious to see if the issue happens again or not.

Of course you haven't....why would a paving contractor recommend sealing a paved driveway? They'd much rather replace the driveway sooner.

It seems silly to debate whether or not driveway sealer is beneficial to driveways. Maybe next we can talk about how waxing your car isn't beneficial either.

Actually it is done all the time with older, failing pavements as a surface treatment. Usually called “chip sealing” since they cover the liquid with small stone “chips”.

Read the whole post!
Sealing has it's place on a cracked or deteriorating driveway, and serves no purpose on new. Again, have you ever seen a municipality or state road "sealed" ? No.
There is a technique called "slurry seal" that they do use, again as a "band aid" that is very similar to the old "tar & chip".

And that is completely different than what is called "driveway sealer". In PA they spray oil on roads and then spread QP on it. That isn't a sealer either.

Good paving contractors don't offer it because the stuff they use (Oil Based Sealer) doesn't really work well.

You probably had one of the "old" sealers. They worked much better than what is used today.

I have over 85 acres of blacktop in my district. The BOE was considering sealing last year and I had to do a LOT of research before they made a decision. They voted "No".

Asphalt driveways are primarily stone & grit. The asphalt is just a binder.
The driveway sealer sales reps say that UV from the sun causes the asphalt to deteriorate, causing cracks. That's sort of true. UV exposure oxidizes asphalt, causing it to become brittle and lose it's ability to bond the stone. Fortunately, this only happens at the very top surface of the blacktop and it takes many years to have any real damage. On a new driveway, the thin coating of asphalt on top of the stone and grit quickly wears off, leaving a very small amount of asphalt exposed to the sun. 90% of the surface exposed to UV is actually stone. The real cause of cracks is the gravel underlayment was done improperly.

Blacktop (and concrete) respirates. Sealing it holds moisture in, which in time damages the base material.

Do some products work better than others? Absolutely. The old Coal Tar Emulsion stuff works really well and is still used on airports and highways. It's kind of gray, so homeowners generally don't like the "look". Unfortunately, it's not really in wide use anymore. It has an average life span of 5 years.

Asphalt Emulsion makes a driveway really black. It's more of a recoloring than anything else. UV degrades it REALLY fast. Like I said, you might even have to recoat annually. Better sealcoating companies mix Coal Tar and Asphalt Emulsions to give a good "look" and durability.

Oil based sealer is the lowest grade stuff. It's what paving contractors use because they have it at their asphalt plant and it smells for days. It also takes a week or more to cure.

Asphalt and oil based sealers have an average lifespan of 1-3 years.

The Latex-ite you used is an asphalt emulsion with no coal tar emulsion mixed in. It's also primarily water. The water is supposed to evaporate and leave the coating behind. Maybe you just had a really heavy coat and it still has a little moisture left in suspension that hasn't evaporated off yet. Hopefully, it will "skin over" and your issue with wet tracking will stop.

On a separate note, I wouldn't let one of the "spray on" sealer companies that go door-to-door touch any black top I cared about. You might as well paint your driveway before you use one of them.



Tommy

 

[yeldogt]

You don't want to "seal" a too new driveway .. especially with the new stuff (less VOC) .. the old stuff was coal tar and was absorbed and off gassed .. it was hard. the new stuff is like a paint.

The guy that did my last driveway told me no not even think about coating it until 10 years

 

[yeldogt]

You don't want to "seal" a too new driveway .. especially with the new stuff (less VOC) .. the old stuff was coal tar and was absorbed and off gassed .. it was hard. the new stuff is like a paint.

The guy that did my last driveway told me no not even think about coating it until 10 years

 

[stikman56]

Why seal ANY driveway? It gives no benefit other than asthetics. It's a never ending cycle because they all come off.

Tommy

It does give benefit ,because they last a lot longer when you do, they are smoother the entire time as well. I have a very large 21 year old driveway at our other home that I have done since 1999 and it's in nice condition still. Keeps it from getting rough from freezing water that otherwise would be down in there and breaking it up as it freezes and I'd be willing to bet that it helps keep the UV rays from destroying the tar that's in the mix too. It also fights against oil and gasoline.

 

[ItsNemo]

Your problem was using the home depot "airport" ****...it's about the worst version of the stuff made.

On my old driveway I used this stuff:
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/rust-oleum-epoxy-shield-driveway-sealer-plus-17-l-0492515p.html

Never had any issues with it...quick pressure wash of the driveway and then roll it on. Could drive on it next day, never lifted or left marks or anything. Usually lasted a couple years before needing to be freshened up (given Canadian winters are hard on it).

 

[LS6 Tommy]

It does give benefit ,because they last a lot longer when you do, they are smoother the entire time as well. I have a very large 21 year old driveway at our other home that I have done since 1999 and it's in nice condition still. Keeps it from getting rough from freezing water that otherwise would be down in there and breaking it up as it freezes and I'd be willing to bet that it helps keep the UV rays from destroying the tar that's in the mix too. It also fights against oil and gasoline.

It's obviously a "YMMV" thing and just saying a they make a driveway last longer is subjective.

Smoother is not better. Who wants a driveway that is slippery when it's wet?

You've coated it since '99. How many times? You're making my point for me about it being an endless cycle.

Water does not penetrate through the blacktop. Cracks from improper installation allow it in.

I already pointed out the UV does negligible damage to the asphalt in the driveway.

Oil based sealers and asphalt emulsions like the OP's product DO NOT protect from oils and gasoline and the asphalt emulsions are destroyed (faster I might add) by the same UV they claim to "protect" the blacktop from.

Tommy

 

[stikman56]

It's obviously a "YMMV" thing and just saying a they make a driveway last longer is subjective.

Smoother is not better. Who wants a driveway that is slippery when it's wet?

You've coated it since '99. How many times? You're making my point for me about it being an endless cycle.

Water does not penetrate through the blacktop. Cracks from improper installation allow it in.

I already pointed out the UV does negligible damage to the asphalt in the driveway.

Oil based sealers and asphalt emulsions like the OP's product DO NOT protect from oils and gasoline and the asphalt emulsions are destroyed by the same UV they claim to "protect" the blacktop from.

Tommy

Well, painting the house is a never-ending cycle as well. I've coated that driveway probably 5 times since 1999. My driveway will always be sealed, I just see it as no different than painting your house ,it's a protective layer. I didn't mean to say water penetrated it, it flows into every divot, every crack, every pin hole, then while freezing it expands and breaks whatever is in it's way, (just like your cast iron engine if the freeze plugs fail to give) therefore the surface becomes rougher every time this happens. I say seal 'em. Who wants a rough driveway? Everyone got their own opinion and preferences as well.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Well, coating a drive every 3-4 years is more than I would want to do. I don't paint my house either. It's vinyl My driveway was previously coated and coming off 25 years ago when I bought my house. The driveway has not deteriorated one bit and I've never recoated it.

I guess we can agree that usage is based on the property owner's perceived requirements.

BTW, "freeze plugs" do not prevent block damage in freezing weather. They're just holes from the casting process...

Tommy

 

[dkmc]

Maybe it didn't stick because it's a home driveway and not an Airport?

It's useless to contact the Mfgr, they have a million excuses rehearsed and ready to make it the customers fault. I put silver roof sealer made by Henry on my metal shed roof. No problems with it, but reading the can, it says in effect "do not expose product to moisture or dew within 48 hours after application"
Right!......you put it on the roof OUTDOORS, but you have to keep moisture and dew off of it for 2 nights. How the hell does that work??

It never seems to affect it, but IF there was a problem, I'm sure the folks at Henry would blame anything and everything on me for letting the dew get on it at night.

 

[Brad Beam]

I have to disagree. If a crack even a small one gets water in a freeze thaw location it will only get worse. This is why every year around this time you see many towns and Cities go around and fill these, at least here in upstate NY.

Sealing and crack filling are not the same thing. Driveway sealer is mostly aesthetic.