EXPERT ADVICE
product, I believe one should look for the
following attributes,” stated Robert Ar-
chie with US Seal International, Reno,
Nev. “Drying time, a deep black color that
stays black after drying and beyond, adhe-
sion quotient--meaning what percentage
of adhesion the product has, the ability to
stay in suspension in its concentrated state
and with water being added, and its safety
factors--how safe it is to the applicators,
to the environment, water, ground, air,
during and after its application. In addi-
tion, how safe it is when it decomposes af-
ter aging and winds up in retention ponds
after finally washing down the driveway
and into storm drains. This is measured
by PAHs, the toxic chemicals that get into
our environment.”
People are usually exposed to mixtures
of PAHs. Breathing air contaminated with
motor vehicle exhaust, cigarette smoke,
wood smoke, or fumes from asphalt roads
are common ways exposure occurs. Peo-
ple take in PAHs when they eat grilled or
charred meats or foods or foods on which
PAH particles have settled from the air.
Archie further recommended, “Make
sure you know what you are buying. Get
educated. Don’t just take what they tell
you. Ask for documentation, tests, SDS
sheets. Become an expert in your field.
Then when you go to someone’s door you
will not be just repeating what the manu-
facturer’s literature says, but you will know
what you are selling and be confident in
the properties of the material and secure
in the knowledge that your product meets
and exceeds the necessary requirements to
do the very best job that can be done.”
According to Adam Wellman with
Maintenance Inc., Wooster, Ohio, the
top three factors a sealcoating contractor
should look at when selecting a seal coat
product that best suits the need are dilu-
tion ratios, solid and ash contents, and
coverage rates. “These three factors can
tell you a lot about the material you are
using.”
Wellman continued: “The main thing
you want to do when developing a for-
mula for your company is to keep it con-
sistent. This is important for one main
reason: if you’re constantly changing your
formula and you run into a problem on a
jobsite, and you haven’t kept a consistent
formula, it will be very hard to determine
what the actual problem is. A formula we
have come up with and our contractors
have had great success with is a 25% to
30% dilution rate with two-pounds per
gallon sand based on your raw bulk ma-
terial, along with a fast-drying additive.
That formula is going to give you a great
tough durable and flexible sealer film that
cures to a dark, black-slate finish that your
customer can be assured will stand up to
whatever mother nature throws at it.”
Selecting the best sealcoating product
for contractors to use effectively and suc-
cessfully can be accomplished with some
research and, perhaps, a little help from a
trusted materials supplier.
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