Sealing asphalt driveway for the first time

Hi, as a father's day gift I recently sealed my father's driveway. It was my first time and it turned out well. As with many of the projects I do, I found it simple to research by browsing several of the large home improvement stores, starting with the main product and working backwards. In this case by the main product I mean the actual sealer product and by working backwards I mean reading the preparation directions on the sealer's container. There it mentioned both cleaning and crack/ hole filling recommendations. The benefit of starting with choosing a sealer first is that, more often, it is sold as a product line along with its own accessory products - cleaners and surface fillers etc. Also, most have some form or pamphlet etc., which you can take with you that lists all of the steps and associated products required.

As far as your specific question goes. If you have any experience with painting you can look at driveway sealing in the same way. The preparation is important to the finished product. Cleaning is for proper bonding of the sealer to the driveway material. Grease and oil is one of the biggest enemies of a good bond. If your driveway is free of that, pressure washing should be fine. If you intend to use any soap product along with the pressure washing that is not part of the sealer's product line be sure to get a good rinse so that no residue is left from the cleaner.

As for the matter of filling cracks, if you once again think of the sealer as a paint and recall how a new paint job on a wall looks you can get a feel of when something needs filled. As paint is applied in various coats it fills in small pores on the surface. Subsequent coats fill in more of the pores but deep gouges or cracks show through no matter how many coats are applied. The cracks and holes need to be filled in prior to the "painting".  For your driveway, filling small cracks before sealing is a matter of choice depending on the level of visual perfection you wish to acheive. If you apply the sealer without filling the small cracks, you should have a driveway that is weather protected with sealer working into the cracks but so that the cracks are still visible. If you are like me and are a bit of a perfectionist you'll want to fill as many imperfections as possible before sealing. For filling, there are basically two main types of filler products sold at the home mprovement stores. Which to go with depends on how large the cracks or holes are. For small cracks etc (say about less than 1/2 deep- but be sure to read the specific product instructions), an easy to use filler comes in a tube and is just squeezed into the crack with a caulking gun. For large holes or major cracks there are premixed or self mixing patching compounds available, many come in small tub containers and you would use a putty knife or whatever to push it into the hole or large crack and then smooth it out.  One thing to keep in mind is to plan for adequate drying time for the filler prior to applying the sealer. The one I used called for a minimum of 24 hrs.

Finally, like paints, there are different qualities and associated prices for the various driveway sealers. Sealers are often listed according to how many years it is stated to protect a driveway and of course the price goes up accordingly. I personally recommend that if you are going to go through the whole effort of sealing your driveway, don't waste it by going too cheap with the sealer. A quality sealer should be thicker but with good flow properties and might have a five or more year rating. I think I went with a 10 year one which was the highest I could find at the DIY type stores. The thing I recommend most is to do what I stated in the beginning, shop for the sealer you wish to apply then plan the whole job according to it's specific instructions. Hope this helps, and best of luck, Greg