MAY 24, 2017 • Volume 12 • Issue 21
RE WEEKLY RESIDENTIAL • ACREAGE • FARM • COMMERCIAL • AREA DEVELOPMENT 515-233-3299 • 317 5th Street, Ames • All REALTOR® ads within are REALTORS® licensed in the State of Iowa
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• AREA DEVELOPMENT • FARM • COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL • ACREAGE 317 5th Street, Ames State of Iowa 515-233-3299 • ® licensed in the
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Real Est a te Weekly • Wednesday, May 24, 2017 • Page RE3
Page RE4 • Real Estate Weekly • Wednesday, May 24, 2017
A gray area
Experts differ widely on need to seal asphalt driveways
By Jim Weiker More Content Now
A
lthough a consensus can be found on many construction topics, the question about whether to seal an asphalt driveway invites disagreement. Ask three authorities, as we recently did, and expect three different answers. Home-repair expert Tim Carter — who writes Ask The Builder, a syndicated column appearing in 70 newspapers nationwide — maintains that sealing asphalt is usually a waste of money and can sometimes have harmful side effects. “If you decide to seal a blacktop driveway, you open up a Pandora’s box of problems,” he wrote in a column. “My driveway is 20 years old. It’s never been sealed, and a vast portion of the driveway is in excellent condition.” Carter’s opinion is not shared by Joe Kindler, a former street-maintenance engineer for the state of Ohio and city of Columbus who works as a consultant for the Franklin County engineer’s office. Kindler said sealing helps prolong the life of a driveway and should be a regular part of home maintenance. “If you seal-coat a driveway or a highway, the surface will last longer,” Kindler said. “I would recommend doing it about every three years on a driveway.” And William Fair, director of engineering services with the asphalt trade association Flexible Pavements of Ohio, lands between Carter and Kindler on the matter. He said sealing should be applied as needed, not necessarily routinely. “From the standpoint of preserving the
Picking a driveway According to the National Association for Realtors, here are some pros and cons of different driveway materials: Concrete: It’s low-maintenance and therefore a common material, but the downside is it stains easily and needs de-icing in cold climates. Asphalt: Popular because it’s cheap to install and works best if you have a large area to cover. The downside is that the surface cracks frequently. Gravel: Best for rural areas but requires frequent raking and needs to be replaced every two to three years. Brick: This option adds a lot of character as well as expense to a driveway project, but if installed properly it lasts for decades.
pavement, it ought to be done anytime asphalt surface stress starts to show,” Fair said. Before examining their views more closely, it’s worth noting that all three experts agree on several points about maintaining an asphalt driveway: • The stronger the gravel base, the better the driveway will hold up. Fair recommends at least a 6-inch crushed-stone base under at least 4 inches of asphalt. • Water is the biggest threat to the integrity of driveways, especially when it freezes and expands in or under the drive.
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• Because of the water threat, cracks in driveways should immediately be addressed. • The surface starts to deteriorate as soon as asphalt is laid. Kindler maintains that sealing driveways is necessary to restore the top layer and protect sand and gravel embedded in the asphalt from the damaging effects of water and oxygen. He likens sealing to protecting exposed metal. Carter said it doesn’t matter whether the smooth, black surface wears off the asphalt driveway. “If you don’t coat the driveway and just let it go, what you’ll find is 90 percent of the surface is just sand and gravel and aggregate,” he said. That exposed aggregate, Carter said, holds up fine without a coating. He added that sealing a driveway could yield unwanted consequences: Oil from the bitumen (the black glue that holds the asphalt together) will be tracked into the home, or the sealant could wear away unevenly, making the surface look as if it’s peeling. For homeowners who prefer a smooth black surface, Carter recommended the cheapest sealant available because, he said, any sealant will wear away. Fair recommended sealing when the driveway shows signs of wear — especially when a crack, even a tiny one, appears. “Look for signs of moisture soaking in and penetrating the asphalt,” Fair said. He advised homeowners to buy an asphalt emulsion sealant that has been “polymer modified” and includes sand for friction.
Real Estate Weekly • Wednesday, May 24, 2017 • Page RE5
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