Seal Coating vs. Repaving: How to Know Which Your Lot Needs

Many owners assume a worn lot needs to be repaved. Often, it does not. Crack sealing and seal coating can add years when the base is still sound. The first step is figuring out which condition you are looking at.

Gray, oxidized asphalt without structural cracking is a good candidate for seal coating. The binder has dried out and lost flexibility, but the base is still doing its job. It is an inexpensive problem to address, which is why it is worth dealing with before the surface begins to break apart.

A few hairline cracks are normal and can usually be handled with routing and hot rubberized crack sealant. Alligator cracking is different. The connected, web-like pattern points to a base that has started to fail. Seal coating will not fix that underlying problem, even if it slows the damage on the surrounding pavement.

A pothole usually means water has reached the base and carried material away through repeated freezing and thawing. Seal coating cannot reverse that. The spot needs to be cut out and patched first. If the damage is isolated, patching followed by maintenance may be enough. If potholes and soft spots are spreading, the base of that section may have failed and replacement is worth discussing.

Water that remains after a rain, especially for an hour or two, points to a low spot or a problem with the grade. Flag it even if the rest of the surface looks fine. Repeated ponding is often the first sign that more cracking and base damage are on the way.

1. Gray asphalt, minor cracking and no potholes: crack seal and seal coat, then keep it on a regular schedule.
2. Isolated alligator cracking or a few soft spots: patch the failed areas and maintain the rest of the lot.
3. Widespread alligator cracking, multiple potholes or visible base failure: maintenance has probably reached its limit. Ask a paving contractor about reconstruction, and put the healthy sections on a maintenance schedule.

Seal coating a lot with a failing base wastes money because it cannot stop structural damage. Repaving a lot that only needed maintenance wastes money in the other direction. The right answer depends on the lot, which is why we walk the surface before recommending a scope. If maintenance is no longer enough, we will say so.