Commercial Service 24 Hours a day 7 days a week (585) 621-7325 (585) 621-7325 24 Hours A Day EDUCATION CENTER Coal Tar Emulsion The first asphalt seal coating material that will be discussed is Coal Tar Emulsion. It is comprised of a mixture of thousands of chemicals that are different in molecular structure than asphalt itself. This allows Coal Tar Emulsion to protect the asphalt from the harsh effects of UV rays, petroleum based products and water. Coal Tar Emulsion is the most durable sealer on the market. The natural life span of an asphalt sealcoating job performed with Coal Tar is approximately 5 years. This time estimate depends on the traffic volume that the asphalt experiences on a daily basis. In comparison, the other sealers typically last 2-3 maximum for the same traffic volume. Currently, Coal Tar Emulsion is the sealer of choice for the vast majority of federal airport driveway sealcoating projects, due to its ability to protect against the ill effects of Jet Fuel. The asphalt sealers are petroleum based in chemical structure and the Coal Tar Emulsion is not. This is the biggest advantage that Coal Tar Emulsion has over the other driveway sealers. When gasoline and oil is dispersed on to the asphalt pavement it has a natural tendency to bond with the asphalt due to their similarities in chemical structure. This bonding process deteriorates the asphalt binder that holds the stone together. This deterioration in the asphalt leads to raveling, which is when the stones start to separate from the asphalt. Coal Tar Emulsion is a water based driveway sealer. Water is used to enable the contractors to use it in a workable state. After the sealer has been applied, the water evaporates, which leaves a durable film. Many people have a tendency ask if an driveway sealer is latex or oil based. This question is technically wrong because the Coal Tar Emulsion is not latex based; instead its main composition is Coal Tar itself. Asphalt Emulsion The next Driveway Sealing material is Asphalt Emulsion. This material is fairly new to the asphalt seal coating world. It was created because the supplies of Coal Tar Emulsion have been diminishing in the recent past. Asphalt Emulsion is an driveway sealer that is derived from asphalt itself. The main benefit of an Asphalt Emulsion based sealer is the dark black color. Asphalt Emulsion restores the original color to the driveway. As previous mentioned, Asphalt Emulsion is blended with the Coal Tar Emulsion to take advantage of the color and durability of both asphalt sealers. Driveway Sealing Companies have the ability to determine the percentage of each sealer used in the mix design. Asphalt Emulsion’s biggest down fall is the fact that it does not hold up well against the effects of UV rays and petroleum based products such as gasoline and oil.  Another potential problem with Asphalt Emulsion sealers is they do not retain sand as well as Coal Tar sealer. Although there are some decisive limitations in Asphalt Emulsion sealers, there have been great strides in correcting the composition of Asphalt Emulsion sealers in recent years.  If Coal Tar Emulsion is not available, Asphalt Emulsion is the next choice for a quality Driveway Sealing job. Custom Driveway Sealing “Types Of Driveway Sealer Explained” Sealcoating