Caring for Your Driveway After Sealcoating

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Fresh driveway sealant continues to cure after the surface appears dry. Following these requirements will help prevent tracking, tire marks, surface scuffing, and other avoidable damage. Please note all proposed curing times are minimums based on temperatures above 50ºF & low humidity

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Required Closure Times

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• Keep all people and pets off the freshly sealed surface until it is dry and the work area has been released by our crew. Do not assume the driveway is ready because the surface looks black or feels dry at the edge.

• Wait at least 72 full hours after application before allowing vehicles onto the driveway. 

• These are minimum closure periods. Cool temperatures, high humidity, clouds, shade, limited airflow, or damp conditions can significantly slow curing and require a longer closure.

• If Premium Sealing gives you a longer site-specific closure period, follow the longer period.

• Neyra states that the driveway should be reopened only after the sealant has dried and cured enough to accept regular traffic. A laboratory drying result does not mean the coating is ready for actual vehicle traffic under every field condition.

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Keep the Surface Dry

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• Keep sprinklers and irrigation systems turned off for at least 72 hours after application. Leave them off longer if the driveway remains soft or if weather conditions have slowed curing.

• Do not hose down, wash, pressure-wash, or intentionally wet the newly sealed driveway during the initial curing period.

• Prevent water from hoses, roof drains, sump pumps, pools, landscaping, and other sources from flowing across the surface.

• If unexpected rain occurs, remain off the driveway and allow the surface to dry naturally. Do not walk onto wet sealant to inspect it.

• Contact Premium Sealing if you observe substantial wash-off, exposed asphalt, streaking caused by flowing water, or sealant being carried away from the driveway.

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Protecting the Surface From Vehicles

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• For the first 14 days after the driveway reopens, use extra care whenever driving or parking on the sealed surface.

• Drive slowly when entering and leaving the driveway.

• Keep the vehicle moving while turning the steering wheel.

• Do not turn the steering wheel while the vehicle is stationary.

• Avoid sharp turns, tight circular movements, sudden acceleration, and hard braking.

• Approach garage doors, parking spaces, and turnaround areas as straight as reasonably possible.

• Avoid repeatedly maneuvering in one small area.

• Do not allow wheels to spin or slide on the sealed surface.

• These actions create concentrated friction between the tires and the curing coating. They can leave tire marks, scuff the surface, or displace sealant that has not completed its cure.

• Tire marks are more likely during hot weather, in shaded areas that cured more slowly, and where a vehicle makes a sharp turn or turns its wheels while stopped. Many superficial tire marks gradually become less noticeable as the coating continues to cure and may take approximately two weeks to fade.

• Do not scrub, pressure-wash, or apply chemicals to fresh tire marks. Aggressive cleaning can damage the coating and make the affected area more noticeable.

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Heavy Loads and Concentrated Pressure

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• Keep garbage trucks, delivery trucks, moving vehicles, landscaping vehicles, trailers, and other heavy equipment off the driveway for at least 72 hours and longer when instructed.

• Avoid placing dumpsters, storage containers, heavy equipment, automotive jacks, jack stands, or other concentrated loads on the newly sealed surface during the initial curing period.

• Use caution with motorcycle kickstands, bicycle kickstands, trailer jacks, ladders, metal furniture legs, and other narrow objects that concentrate weight in a small area.

• Do not drag garbage cans, furniture, equipment, landscaping materials, or other objects across the surface.

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People, Pets, and Personal Property

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• Keep children and pets away from the driveway until it is fully dry. Fresh sealant can transfer onto shoes, paws, clothing, flooring, and other surfaces.

• Do not place toys, sports equipment, hoses, planters, furniture, or garbage cans back on the driveway during the closure period.

• Avoid unnecessary walking across the driveway during the initial cure, especially in shaded, damp, or thicker-coated areas.

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Odor During Curing

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• Driveway sealant has a noticeable odor during application and the initial curing period. This is normal and will gradually dissipate.

• Limit unnecessary activity near the driveway and keep nearby windows and doors closed if anyone at the property is sensitive to strong odors.

• Odor alone does not indicate that the product was improperly applied.

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Appearance After Sealcoating

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• Tarconite is dark brown while wet and becomes black as it dries. Some temporary color variation may be visible while different areas dry and cure at different rates.

• Areas with shade, limited airflow, repaired cracks, different pavement textures, or heavier product coverage may change appearance more slowly than surrounding areas.

• Sealcoating is a protective coating, not a new layer of asphalt. It will not make an older driveway structurally or visually identical to newly paved asphalt.

• Existing cracks, depressions, patches, surface texture, previous repairs, and other pavement conditions may remain visible after sealcoating.

• Crack filler is intended to reduce water entry into cracks. Filled cracks and the sealant placed over them may remain visible because crack filling does not recreate the original pavement texture.

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Ongoing Maintenance

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• After the coating has fully cured, occasional gentle flushing with water can help maintain the driveway’s appearance.

• Clean fuel, oil, chemical, and other vehicle-fluid leaks promptly after the surface has fully cured. Do not use harsh solvents or aggressive pressure washing without first confirming that the cleaning method is appropriate for a sealed asphalt surface.

• Continue to monitor the driveway for developing cracks, drainage issues, or pavement movement. Sealcoating helps protect asphalt from water, sunlight, oxidation, gasoline, and motor oil, but it does not prevent every form of pavement deterioration.

• Following these instructions and any site-specific directions provided by Premium Sealing will help protect the newly sealed surface and provide the best possible result.