Fall is the Best Time to Sealcoat Your Driveway or Parking Lot!

Why is Fall the Perfect Time To Apply Sealcoating In Palm Beach County?

Here at Trinity Asphalt, Palm Beach County’s leading parking lot and driveway asphalt paving company, we believe that a year-round and proactive approach is the absolute best stance to take when it comes to protecting the driveways of Palm Beach county homes and parking lots of Palm Beach area businesses.

With the Summer months well behind us here in West Palm Beach and the month of September already coming to a close, our experience has always been that the remaining months of Fall are the absolute perfect time to sealcoat your asphalt pavement.

Before we explain why Fall is the best time for sealcoating, though, let’s just take a moment to review what sealcoating actually is, and to discuss why asphalt parking lots and driveways need it for constant maintenance.

In summary, asphalt pavement is composed of two major components. The first component of the asphalt pavement is known as the “aggregate”. This is the rocky material which most people associate with blacktop in driveways and parking lots. Conventionally, the aggregate is composed of a mixture of stone, sand, and/or gravel.

To hold the aggregate in place, a second component is needed. This is known as the “binder”, or the “asphalt cement”. Today, the most frequently used binders are actually a form of semi-liquid petroleum, formed during the distillation process.

As the pavement ages, it is repeatedly subjected to weather damage from the elements, causing wear and tear. This is especially in extreme climates like we have here in Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and the rest of Palm Beach County in South Florida. Highly energetic ultraviolet rays from the sun bombard the asphalt during our summer months, and when these are combined with water from the rainy season, they erode the binder’s effects. Thus, nature compromises the quality of the entire pavement structure. This creates the need to be constantly vigilant in the maintenance and repair of parking lots and garages alike.

To put it plainly: South Florida is absolutely brutal at imparting weather damage to your pavement, and we’ve seen it time and time again.

On the bright side, though, sealcoating your parking lot or driveway not only provides a strong layer of defense against the elements, but the process also adds a beautiful layer of aesthetics to your pavement.

The right seal not only provides an impenetrable barrier against damage U.V. Damage and the rainy season, but the polymers which comprise the sealcoat also help to prolong the deep, dark, shiny black finish of the asphalt.

However, even though the process of sealcoating is highly effective when it comes to prolonging the life of your pavement, the process is highly sensitive to the ambient temperature and humidity. The reality is that even though most conventional advice on the internet will tell you that Summer is the ideal time to sealcoat your driveway or parking lot, this advice is absolutely counterproductive for the weather that we have here from West Palm Beach to Delray Beach. The humidity levels of our Florida summers make it much more difficult to effectively seal the asphalt, which is why we absolutely recommend Fall as the perfect period to get the job done.

During the months of September, October, and November, the weather delivers “Goldilocks” period where conditions are just right. Humidity levels are low enough, but the temperature remains high enough to dry everything quickly.

We tend to book up quickly during the Fall season, though, so give us a call today and we will be happy to schedule an appointment.