Asphalt Vs. Emulsion Driveway Sealer

Asphalt

• Traditional use of asphalt as a road surface involves the mixture of asphalt with crushed gravel, stone and sand to produce a type of concrete. The asphalt, a sticky black liquid, works to bind the crushed minerals together. To create this asphalt concrete, the mixture is performed at temperatures between 200 and 330 degrees Fahrenheit. The hot asphalt concrete is spread on the road or land surface, smoothed and packed with different machinery and cooled to a smooth solid form.

Asphalt Emulsion

• Emulsion or asphalt emulsion is a type of asphalt mixed at cooler temperatures. This mixture is sometimes sprayed onto roads followed by crushed minerals to form roads common in rural areas. The emulsion is recyclable and can be mixed into traditional hot asphalt to reduce paving expenses. Asphalt emulsions contain roughly 70 percent asphalt and are comparable to traditional asphalt concrete with regard to use.

Driveway Sealer

• Driveway sealer is often available in asphalt emulsion form. This makes the use easier, safer and cleaner for average homeowners to apply alone. The sealer is usually applied over a pre-existing asphalt or asphalt emulsion driveway. The homeowner fills in any cracks in the driveway with a crack filler, similar to caulking but designed for driveway use. Any large cracks or holes in the driveway are filled with a patch kit. The driveway sealer is applied over the entire surface and then spread out to make the application even and avoid a puddle of sealer. Depending on the sealing process and climate, the drying time will vary.

Natural Alternatives to Asphalt

• A fairly recent creation known as Bioasphalt uses nonfood resources such as wood residue in an effort to steer the asphalt industry away from petroleum-based products. This Bioasphalt product is renewable, reduces paving costs by a predicted 20 percent and offers a direct replacement for the petroleum-based asphalt, according to reports from several universities, including Iowa State. The use of Bioasphalt is also comparably priced with traditional and emulsion asphalts.