EXPERT ADVICE
jority of sealcoating contractors using additives, it is no longer an option to exclude the use of additives if you are looking to stay competitive within your market area.
“ Additionally, the use of additives becomes imperative while sealcoating in less-than-ideal conditions. Those conditions include challenging weather which can be found in early spring, late fall, or night time when you want to ensure optimum drying and cure.”
For the contractor, there is power in additives... the power of providing greater options that are not afforded otherwise.
“ Additives allow contractors to stay more competitive by giving them the power to create flexible solutions, a more controlled job, a higher quality coating, and a better customer experience,” stated Rick Poole, president of Diamond Shield Fortifier LLC, Alexander, Ark.“ A contractor can tailor the job for a customer, such as a quicker dry / cure time, a blacker appearance, and increased bonding and resistance all while having more control over the environmental conditions the coating will be placed in. This in turn reduces liability, damage to the coating integrity, and appearance.”
Poole continued:“ Many jobs require additives to ensure a successful outcome. For example, night work, projects with super-tight schedules and early or late season work--all of which may not allow for the 24- to 48-hours of cure time.
“ Saying‘ Time is Money’ about additive use is cliché, but without an additive to accommodate for the initial cure time of a coating, you must stop and wait to come back another day to finish. Additives greatly reduce this waste of time and resources with fewer trips back to finish jobs. In return more work is completed with the same hours each month, which means more profitability, and less wear and tear on equipment.”
Clearly, additives in sealcoating is designed to help shorten cure time.
“ There are several key advantages when additives are included in sealcoats,” stated Woodrow Adams, operations manager at STAR Seal.“ These are performance improvements with greater resistance to chemicals, deicing salts, oil, jet fuel, etc. and greater resistance to water and weather elements--as well as improved abrasion resistance. There is, of course, reduced drying time by 25- to 30-percent and uniform drying in less-than-ideal conditions and uniform dry color under shade or direct sunlight. Also, sealcoat additives keep sand / aggregate uniformly suspended in the mix, thus eliminating settling in the bottom of the tank. They help distribute sand / aggregate evenly throughout the sealcoating and produce a uniform textured and streak-free appearance of the finished job.”
Adams added that sealcoat additives provide a number of benefits compared to sealing without:
• Extends sealer durability and longevity
• Improves flexibility to help prevent
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