Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why should I seal my pavement?
A: The application of a quality pavement sealer by a qualified contractor will extend the service life and reduce maintenance costs of asphalt pavements. Sealing protects pavements from the destructive effects of water, sunlight, oxidation, gasoline, motor oils and many other chemical and solvents. In addition, it provides a distinctive new-looking surface that is skid resistant and easy to clean.

Q: How often should I seal my pavement?
A: Generally, every 2 to 4 years. There are several factors that affect how quickly the coating wears off. Delaying spring cleanup of winter sand will wear the sealer off faster than normal. The amount of traffic that a pavement receives is another factor. Most importantly though, is the product used. As outlined above, there are different grade products, the better the product, the longer the job will last.

Q: When is the best time to seal my pavement?
A: On brand new pavement, a minimum of 30 days of curing must take place before applying sealer. As all sealer is temperature-sensitive, applying when temperatures are at least 50 degrees (F) and rising is best. In this area of the country, generally mid-May through mid- October is the sealcoating season.

Q: M & S Paving and Sealing recently came to my property to give me an estimate. Why did I receive more than one quote?
A: We offer three different pavement-coating products, Tarconite®, Tarconite® with Armorflex® additive, and Jennite®. All three are excellent products, but we want to give you a choice.

• Tarconite® is an excellent sealer. We’ve sealed thousands of parking lots with Tarconite® with very good results. You can expect to seal your pavement every 1-3 years with Tarconite®, depending on traffic and weather.
• The next coating system is Tarconite® fortified with Armorflex® latex additive. By adding Armorflex® to Tarconite®, cure time is cut in half, resulting in a stronger coating in a shorter amount of time. The greatest amount of wear of a newly-sealed surface occurs within the first 30 days, before the sealer fully cures. The Armorflex® cuts that time in half. A one-year warranty is part of the Tarconite® with Armorflex® System. You can expect to seal your pavement every 2-4 years with Tarconite® with Armorflex® depending on traffic and weather.
• The final product is Jennite®. The Jennite® Pavement System is unmatched in the industry. No other pavement sealer lasts longer, and no other pavement sealer offers a two-year written warranty against failure and unreasonable wear. Jennite® was the first sealer ever produced—back in 1938—and its hot-blended process prior to emulsification makes Jennite® unique and by far the best sealer produced. You can expect to seal your pavement every 3-6 years with Jennite®, depending on traffic and weather.

Q: How many coats need to be applied?
A: Part of our initial pavement evaluation is to recommend the proper number of coats needed to effectively protect your pavement. Usually, a minimum of two coats is required for a job with average traffic. If we feel your lot gets more than average traffic, we will recommend a three-coat application in high traffic areas.

Q: How long do I need to stay off the newly sealed area?
A: We recommend keeping cars off the new sealer for 24 hours, or at the very least, overnight. The area is usually ready for pedestrian traffic within 1-2 hours of spraying of each coat, with shady areas taking more time to dry depending on outside temperatures and wind conditions. We handle barricading the sealed areas from vehicle traffic.

Q: When is the best time to seal my parking lot?
A: All pavement sealer manufacturers recommend the application to take place under optimal conditions– when temperatures are expected to be at least 50 degrees (F) for 48 hours after application. Our typical sealing season starts in about late May and ends in early October. Nighttime sealing is not recommended. New asphalt should be allowed to cure for a minimum of 30 days prior to sealing.

Q: I’ve heard that my pavement shouldn’t be sealed. Does the pavement need to breathe?
A: For the same reason wood is painted, asphalt should be sealed. Without protection, the elements of rain, sun and snow will penetrate, oxidize and deteriorate asphalt. When your pavement is new, it is flexible. That is one of the reasons asphalt is used in cold weather climates--it has the ability to flex when the ground freezes. Over time, an unprotected surface becomes more brittle due to the harmful effects of nature, and when it has lost its flexibility, it cracks. Once cracking begins, water can penetrate to the base, leading to wider deterioration of the pavement surface. Water penetration is the number one reason for pavement failure.

By properly sealing your pavement, you can significantly slow down the aging process, and at a fraction of the cost of re-paving.

Q: Once I contract M & S Paving and Sealing to pave my driveway, what should I expect?
A: We will contact you to schedule a date for the work. If we are completely removing your old driveway, we will most likely remove the old asphalt and prepare the base on the same day. We usually will let the newly prepared stone base sit for about a month. We encourage that you use your driveway as you normally would. The compaction from your vehicles is beneficial to the final outcome – a driveway is only as strong as the base it’s constructed on. We will contact you again prior to the paving to schedule a date. On the day of the paving, we need all vehicles removed from the driveway, and we ask for the garage door to be left open. This helps us to work from inside as we pave this area. Once we have completed the paving, we will barricade the opening and ask that no vehicles enter for at least 3 days