EXPERT ADVICE
Sealcoat Additives Enhance
the Protective Coating
By Jeff Winke
Greater adhesion, cohesion, viscosity and more
S
tarting point: Sealcoating is a pro-
tective coating to asphalt pavement,
which provides a layer of protection
from water, oils, and U.V. damage.
And quite simply, sealcoat additives are
designed to enhance different properties
within the sealer to improve its perfor-
mance.
“In general, additives contain polymers
which enhance different properties within
the sealer to improve durability,” stated
Paul Raymond, technical manager with
GemSeal Pavement Products, Tampa, Fla.
“Properties impacted include adhesion,
cohesion, and viscosity.
“Adhesion is how well the sealer bonds
to the pavement. The better the sealer
bites into the pavement, the harder it is to
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come off. Cohesion is the internal strength
of the sealcoat itself, or how well it holds
itself together. The greater the internal
strength of the sealcoat film, the greater
resistance it has to being worn off from
traffic, as well as preventing sand rollout.
Viscosity is a term used to describe how
thick the sealer appears to be. Greater vis-
cosity can help increase sand loading and
affect how well the sealer spreads out on
the pavement.”
There are primarily three types of pave-
ment sealers. They are commonly known
as refined tar-based (coal tar based), as-
phalt-based, and petroleum-based. All
three have their advantages but are typi-
cally chosen by the contractors’ preference
unless otherwise specified.
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“Additives get a bad rap for only speed-
ing up cure time; which plain and sim-
ply isn’t the truth, since additives bring
many benefits to pavement sealcoat,”
stated Adam Wellman with Maintenance
Inc., Wooster, Ohio. “All of our additives
are specifically formulated to help sus-
pend sand, help eliminate tracking, add
strength and flexibility to the sealer film
for a long lasting great looking job. Ad-
ditionally, additives are designed to give
sealers a deeper black slate finish, leaving
the asphalt looking wonderful.
“Additives can and should be used to
help work around weather or at night.
If you’re trying to get a job done with a
threat of mother nature washing you out
or nighttime sealing to accommodate the
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