Hot Las Vegas Tips for Sealcoating in the Summer

If you want your asphalt pavement to look great, require minimal repairs, and have a long life, an economical procedure known as sealcoating can help. Sealcoating protects against damage from the sun, automotive fluids, and other formidable forces that can compromise the integrity and appearance of your pavement. However, in Las Vegas, asphalt sealcoating in the summer can be very challenging. The area typically experiences scorching heat during the summer months, and that requires sealcoating contractors to take additional steps to deliver high-quality results.

Why Is Sealcoating in the Summer Challenging?

Asphalt sealcoating manufacturers formulate their products to cure in a certain manner and within a predictable time. However, during the area’s extremely hot summers, asphalt sealcoating in Las Vegas can flash dry. When asphalt seal coating flash dries, there is insufficient time for the sealant and the pavement to create a strong bond. As a result, your Las Vegas asphalt sealcoating will not last. In some cases, local asphalt sealcoating that has experienced flash drying can wear off in very few months, but in other cases, it can be lost in just a day or two.

How Do Contractors Deal With Excessive Heat in the Summer?

Experienced asphalt seal coating companies can take specific steps to avoid flash drying when applying sealcoating in the summer.

1. Contractors can use a special mix of asphalt seal coating that does not contain any sand or other aggregate. This mix is half water and half sealcoating concentrate. Local asphalt sealcoating companies then apply this special mix very thinly as a type of primer. The asphalt seal coating company then switches to a proper mix for the subsequent coats. The primer can reduce the temperature of the pavement so that a strong bond can be established. The next coat will have a well-adhered surface with which to bond. In lieu of a special mix, a Las Vegas asphalt sealcoating contractor may use a true pavement primer, but this may increase your cost.
2. Sealcoating contractors can also fog the pavement. Fogging involves misting the pavement with a thin, fine spray of water to cool the pavement. Sealcoating contractors must make sure that they do not use too much water, and they must begin applying the sealant almost immediately.
3. Another thing that asphalt seal coating companies can do is to work at the most opportune times. For Las Vegas asphalt sealcoating contractors, this is usually the first few hours after sunrise. Typically, the lower nighttime temperatures reduce the temperature of an asphalt pavement to its coolest level, making it easier to apply asphalt seal coating without flash drying. Many local sealcoating contractors perform crack repairs or deep clean the pavement a day or two before the application. This allows them to begin the actual sealcoating process almost immediately after sunrise; a quick cleaning is usually all the preparation the pavement will need. Contractors can also avoid windy days when applying asphalt sealcoating in the summer. Wind helps evaporate the water in an asphalt seal coating mix, but too much wind can accelerate the evaporation excessively and lead to flash drying.

Affordable Striping & Sealing, we specialize in asphalt maintenance. We are a well-respected company with a reputation for consistent delivery of exceptional work and exemplary service. We offer a wide variety of services, including sealcoating, crack repairs, traffic signs, parking lot striping, public works assistance, road markings, and parking lot layout, to clients throughout the Las Vegas Valley. To request a free quote, call 702-222-9009, email Vegas@AffordableStriping.com, or fill out the online form.