Pavement maintenance
Sealing cracks keeps water out of the base, before a small crack turns into a pothole or a failed area.
In brief
Crack sealing fills cracks in asphalt so water cannot reach and soften the base, which is how small cracks turn into potholes and failed areas. Cracks up to 1/2 in are cleaned, dried and filled with hot or cold sealant. Alligator cracking means the base has already failed and needs full-depth repair. The usual order is repairs, crack seal, seal coat, then striping.
01
The point of crack sealing is to keep water from reaching the base rock through the crack. Water in the base is how a small surface problem turns into a pothole or a failed area.
We clean out the cracks and fill them with hot or cold sealant, depending on the crack and the weather. Linear cracks up to 1/2 in are filled as standard preparation before seal coating.
The two terms get used interchangeably, but the difference is movement. Crack sealing uses a flexible, usually hot-applied rubberized sealant for cracks that open and close with the temperature. Crack filling uses a less stretchy material for cracks that barely move. When you compare bids, ask what material and prep are included rather than going by the name.
02
Linear cracks, the ones that run in a line across the surface, along a paving joint or an old trench, are the right candidates. Alligator cracking, a web of connected cracks, means the base has already failed. Sealing won't help there; those areas need full-depth repair.
The right order is repair failed areas, seal the cracks, seal coat, then put the striping back. Done out of order, you end up paying for some of the work twice.
03
Sealant placed in a dirty or damp crack won't stick, so most of the work is prep. Hot-pour sealant is standard on commercial lots because it bonds well and stays flexible; cold-pour is used on very small jobs with only a few cracks, and narrow cracks.
04
Crack sealing is usually priced by the linear foot or as a set price for a defined area.
Cracks need to be dry and within the sealant's temperature range, so spring and fall are the usual windows. For Bay Area properties, the goal is to have cracks sealed before the rainy season. Hot-applied sealant can usually take traffic shortly after it cools, and crews work along the cracks, so only small sections close at a time.
05
New cracks open every year as pavement ages, so crack sealing works best as a regular habit. Walk the property each year before the rains, and fold a full round into the seal coat schedule every three to five years, with touch-ups in between.
Specification
The details that decide service life, stated plainly so they can be compared against any other proposal you receive.
Who we serve
Our work
Fremont, CA · 2022
34,500 SF of repairs · 4 in full depth
Failed areas rebuilt to full depth, then seal coat, stall striping, stall numbering and red curb throughout The Crossings HOA.
San Rafael, CA · 2020
43,000 SF of 4 in repairs · 1,400 SF of 1.5 in overlay
Concrete repairs, deep asphalt repairs and targeted overlays to clear up drainage issues for the Marin Lagoon HOA in San Rafael.
Questions
Crack sealing uses a flexible, usually hot-applied sealant for cracks that move with the temperature. Crack filling uses a less stretchy material for cracks that don't move much. Check what material and prep a bid includes.
Crack sealing fills individual cracks to keep water out of the base. Seal coating covers the whole surface to protect it from sun, water and oil. They're usually done together, in that order.
Seal coat is a thin surface layer. It fills hairline cracks, but it can't bridge an open crack, so water keeps getting through.
Dry weather with mild temperatures, usually spring or fall. In the Bay Area, the main goal is to have cracks sealed before the rainy season.
Check every year and seal new cracks as they appear. A full round is normally done right before each seal coat.
Get started
Send the property address and what you are seeing. An estimator will walk the site and tell you whether this is the right scope before quoting it.