No, do not attempt to fill cracks with sealer. It is not going to give you the results that you need. Instead, have a reliable asphalt professional repair the cracks properly by using asphalt to fill them.
Think of it this way: If you had a leather jacket with a tear in it, would you patch it with a piece of silk? Theoretically, you could, but what would happen? The silk patch would tear away from the leather when you moved. It would also wear out long before the surrounding leather. You would still have a torn jacket, but you might also need to repair the holes left by stitching the silk to the leather.
Whether mending a jacket or filling a crack in asphalt pavement, matching materials are important if you want the best results. When you try to mend a crack in asphalt pavement with sealer, the sealer will wear out long before the surrounding asphalt. Sealer is much harder and less pliable than asphalt, so it cannot expand and contract as the seasons change. It will flake or crumble, allowing the crack to reappear very quickly. However, if the crack is filled with rubberized asphalt, the fill material and the surrounding pavement can expand and contract in unison.
Sealcoating is an excellent way to prolong the life of your asphalt pavement, but it needs to be used appropriately and not for filling cracks. Crack filling and sealcoating are both necessary if you want to maximize the return on your investment in asphalt, but they need to be done correctly. It is also important to make sure that you have all cracks in your asphalt filled before winter. Snow and ice can wreak havoc on cracked asphalt if the melt water seeps beneath the pavement and erodes the base, and the freeze/thaw process can also cause further damage.
All Pro Asphalt provides an extensive range of services, including crack repair, asphalt paving, sealcoating, parking lot striping and infrared repairs. We are committed to providing customers throughout the greater Kansas City area with the quality work at affordable rates. You can send us your information by submitting our quote request form online, or you can call us at (816) 249-6800.
