Feel that Sun? The heat baking your skin. Your first instincts are to put on sun screen to prevent the sun’s UV rays from damaging your body. Those same UV rays damages your asphalt as well.
When Asphalt is made, the material includes stone, sand, and asphalt
cement (tar). The tar not only binds the material together, but also
gives it pavement the ability to expand and contract with the change in
temperatures. When new asphalt is put down, it’s black as coal. In
time, the color fades and starts to turn light black, then almost gray.
That’s the sun cooking the tar out of your asphalt surface that’s also
called oxidation. Over time, the oxidized asphalt becomes more rigid
and loses its ability to expand and contract. Long cracks occur in the
pavement because the asphalt loses its ability to move with the changes
in temperature.
Sealcoating saves your asphalt and extends the life of the surface.
Sealcoating slows the oxidation process, protects the asphalt by
creating a barrier from the UV rays. That same barrier prevents
contaminants, such as leaking oil, from getting absorbed into the
asphalt itself. Asphalt life without sealcoating is expected to last
10-15 years. With sealcoating, asphalt can last up to 25 years.
So don’t forget that asphalt suntan lotion. It can make your asphalt look good for a long time.