IN THE MIX
4. Final Inspection: Walking the lot with trained eyes to spot and clean missed spots before spraying. Pressure washing alone may look clean, but if it leaves fine silt in the pores, you’ ve only traded big dirt for little dirt. So be wary of thinking it solves it and try to deter your client from doing it before you arrive.
The Financial Equation Nobody Talks About
Skipping proper cleaning might save you 15 minutes per job— but it can cost you thousands in warranty work, callbacks, and reputation loss.
Here’ s how it plays out my friends( trust me on this):
• Poor prep = Poor adhesion
• Poor adhesion = Visible peeling and premature wear
• Premature wear = Angry customers & negative word-of-mouth
• Negative word-of-mouth = Lost bids you never even got to compete for Sealcoating is a margin business. The cheapest fix is prevention, and the best prevention is a spotless surface. Does that mean sweeping more and taking more time, yes. Deal with it if you want longevity in this game.
My Non-Negotiable Rule at Wis-Coat
I tell my crews,“ Clean it as if you were me, and it was my own driveway”. It gets a laugh or a scowl, but it also sets the standard. When we prep a lot, we’ re not just blowing off leaves; we’ re removing every possible barrier to adhesion. Because our name is literally stuck to that job for years.
The Last Thought on it All
A clean surface isn’ t just a box to check. It’ s the foundation of everything you promise your customer and what they hope for. Give them what they hope for and more than they expect. Whether you’ re sealing a driveway or an airport runway, the success of that job is decided before the first gallon of sealer is mixed. Clean pavement is your best insurance policy. And in this business, insurance is priceless and hard to get cheap. Demand more of yourself and the standard you set, it will improve your business brand and the image of our trade / industry as a whole, where we all win. As always, if you have any questions, insight or criticisms about this article or anything in it, please feel free to email me at marvinjoles @ gmail. com and of course, reach out to me using any form of social media(@ inthemixmj).
Stay In The Mix.-Marvin
Marvin Joles is the owner of Wis-Coat Asphalt Maintenance. Visit his website at https:// marvinjoles. com.
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