If there is one thing we want every homeowner to understand about driveway maintenance, it is this: sealcoating does not fix cracks. Sealcoat is a surface treatment that protects the top of your asphalt from UV, water, and chemicals. But if you have cracks in your driveway and you sealcoat over them without filling them first, those cracks will continue to grow underneath the sealcoat — and the damage will be worse when it shows up again.
Cracks in asphalt happen for several reasons. Temperature changes cause the asphalt to expand and contract, which creates stress fractures over time. Tree roots can push up from below. Heavy vehicles can cause surface cracking. The asphalt binder naturally dries out and becomes brittle with age. Whatever the cause, once a crack opens up, water gets in — and in Michigan, that water freezes. When water freezes, it expands by about 9 percent, physically widening the crack every single winter cycle.
This is why the freeze-thaw cycle is so devastating to asphalt in Michigan. A hairline crack in September can become a quarter-inch gap by March. Give it another year without treatment and it becomes a half-inch crack with crumbling edges. One more year and you are looking at a full-on pothole. The progression is predictable and preventable — but only if you address the cracks before they start the cycle.
Professional crack filling uses hot-pour rubberized sealant that is heated to approximately 380 degrees Fahrenheit and applied directly into the crack. The material flows into the crack, bonds to the asphalt walls on both sides, and cures into a flexible, waterproof seal. The key word is flexible — rubberized crack filler expands and contracts with the asphalt through temperature changes instead of cracking again. This is a critical advantage over the cold-pour squeeze bottles sold at hardware stores, which tend to become brittle and pull away from the crack edges within one winter.
The process is straightforward but important to do correctly. First, the crack is cleaned out — all vegetation, dirt, sand, and loose debris are removed with compressed air and wire brushes. For wider cracks, a router may be used to create a clean, uniform reservoir for the filler. Then the hot rubberized material is poured in, filling the crack from the bottom up. Finally, the surface is smoothed and allowed to cool and cure. Properly filled cracks are ready for sealcoating in as little as 24 hours.
At PrideShield, we include crack filling as a standard part of every sealcoating project. We do not treat it as an optional add-on because skipping it undermines the entire purpose of the sealcoat. When we provide a sealcoating estimate, the crack filling is included in the quoted price. If your driveway has extensive cracking that goes beyond what is normal for a standard sealcoating project, we will let you know upfront and quote accordingly.
For homeowners who are not ready for sealcoating but have cracks that need attention now, we also offer crack filling as a standalone service. Addressing cracks in the spring before the summer heat can prevent significant growth over the following winter. It is one of the most cost-effective preventive maintenance steps you can take — far less expensive than the repairs that become necessary if cracks are left unchecked.
Do not wait for small cracks to become big ones. Contact PrideShield Sealcoating for a free assessment of your driveway or parking lot. We will identify every crack that needs attention and give you a clear plan to protect your asphalt investment.