B&C Blacktop Sealing, Inc. is a full-service asphalt company offering everything from seal-coating to new construction. All asphalt work is done by our employees specifically trained for each task.
We offer a full range of residential maintenance and repairs that include:
Please click here to request a
free estimate or call us at 614-888-7070 for more information. Also see our
Residential Frequently Asked Questions page.
Seal Coating (SC)
Seal-coating is the most common residential driveway procedure. However, doing the job correctly is key to a successful application. Seal coating should never be done until the ambient day and evening temperature(s) are 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise the seal-coat doesn't cure properly and the sealer will have a tendency to wear off much more quickly than it should. Application procedures may differ, but the importance of using the right product cannot be overstated.
B&C Blacktop Sealing, Inc. uses only top-of-the-line Brewer Cote coal tar emulsion sealer. Brewer Cote meets or exceeds both the Air Force and Federal R-P 355e GSA-FSS and the American Society for Testing and Material Specification D-3320-74T, specifications. All manufacturer's mix mix specifications are followed as the proper amounts of washed silica sand provide added traction and longevity to the seal finish. Tar Max, a latex performance enhancer, is added to increase the longevity and color of the finish. The sealer is transported in steel hydraulically agitated tanks to ensure a consistent and uniform mixture arrives at the work site. The subsequent result is a professional, enduring finish.
Seal coat is often applied too frequently. We recommend that two coats be applied to a new installation
after it has cured for one year. Thereafter, a
single coat of sealer should be applied
every two to three years depending on surface traffic and wear.
Crack Sealant (CF)
Water is asphalt's enemy and cracks are the breach through which it enters. Sealing a driveway must, when applicable, be coupled with sealing the cracks. Otherwise water infiltrates the underlying base and over time undermines the entire structure. The result looks like a collapsed alligator's hide; the area appears cracked and sunken.
B&C Blacktop Sealing, Inc. uses only hot pour (applied at 350°F)
Flex-A-Fill rubberized parking lot sealant. This is a commercial grade crack sealant. It will not track into your home, will stay pliable with seasonal changes, will expand and contract with the pavement, and is ready for traffic in 2 hour. Cold-pour crack sealants sold in retail stores have none these properties. Consequently, we don't use them.
Seamless Infrared Repair (IR)
Infrared repair creates a seamless patch by heating the damaged asphalt, adding new asphalt to the damaged area and compacting the resultant blend. Infrared equipment uses "invisible" infrared heat to recycle the existing asphalt. The equipment produces intense infrared waves that reach temperatures exceeding 1200° Fahrenheit and directs them deep into the asphalt. These waves are absorbed by the asphalt and heat it. The heat penetrates to the depth necessary for the scarification (loosening) and repair of the damaged area. After the existing asphalt has reached the correct temperature, an asphalt rejuvenator is added to the scarified area. The rejuvenator adds light oils that, due to time, weather and wear, have been lost from the original asphalt. Fresh hot-mix asphalt is added last, and the repair area is brought up to grade. Finally, the area is compacted leaving a seamless repair with heat-welded edges. This repair will not allow water penetration like the edges of traditional cut and patch repairs sometimes can. Driveways are usually too small to justify infrared; however, in those cases where it makes sense, it is an excellent remedy for damaged areas.
Cut and Patch (C/P)
Cut and patch is the standard repair for damaged areas where the hole has penetrated to the asphalt's limestone base. Typically this type of damage cannot be treated by infrared because of low base, insufficient thickness, or the asphalt has simply reached it's life expectancy. Consequently, the area must be cut out with a saw, removed, re-based and re-paved with new asphalt. Like infrared, many driveways are usually too small to justify the cost of cut and patch; however, in those cases where it makes sense, it too is an excellent remedy.
Click here to find out more details about
Cut and Patch.
Overlay (O/L)
B&C Blacktop encounters many instances where the top layer of an asphalt driveway is worn and damaged, but the underlying base is still sound. Under these circumstances a
Remove and Replace sometimes does not make the best economic sense. Instead of removing the existing asphalt, it can become the additional base for a second layer (the cap or overlay). Often asphalt surfaces that qualify for this procedure have some incidental low places in them, i.e., ruts, dips, etc. These must be filled before a cap can be applied in order to guarantee a smooth and level finished surface. To accomplish this the paver's grade is set at zero and it makes a single pass over the surface in order to deposit the appropriate amount of asphalt into any low areas. This levels the existing driveway. A two inch layer of asphalt is then applied. Rollers compress this layer which produces a 1 1/2 inch thick finished surface, the cap. Caps can last as long as a new driveway. However, asphalt requires a sound base to maintain its integrity and, when a cap is applied to a driveway where the base is compromised, it will quickly fail. . When in doubt about the soundness or integrity of a driveway's base, it is better to remove and replace it than to put a cap on a faulty base, have it fail and lose your investment.
Remove and Replace (R/R)
When properly constructed and cared for, asphalt driveways will give years of service. However, every product has a life expectancy, and this is as true for asphalt drives as for anything else. When a driveway reaches a certain level of deterioration, the best remedy is to remove it, rebase it (add additional limestone) and repave it. This effectively provides the homeowner with a new driveway. However, because there is no dirt to dig out and haul away and because less gravel is required, this process in considerably less expensive than installing an all new drive.
Grade and Pave (G/P)
Many homeowners initially opt for a simple gravel driveway. However, over time the disadvantages of this solution become apparent, and they seek a better solution, i.e., having the driveway paved. Since gravel driveways have often been in place several years and, since several loads of gravel have usually been brought in to rejuvenate it, a stone base has been established. However, asphalt requires a specific type of stone (#304 limestone*), and most gravel driveways are a mix of various other stone types; #2s, #4s, #57s, etc. Unfortunately, none of these stones will compact sufficiently to create an appropriate asphalt base. But they do create a base that requires a need for less #304 limestone. During the grade and pave process, the top layer of existing gravel is leveled and the grade is set. The #304 limestone is brought in and the area is again leveled and graded to ensure proper drainage. Next the area is rolled to produce a solid base. Finally, two and one half inches of asphalt are laid on top of this base and rolled to an average finished thickness of two inches. The leveling and sloping of the existing gravel surface, the addition and compaction of #304 limestone and the application of asphalt is what constitutes a
grade and pave.
New Construction (New Dig or N/D)
Often clients need a new asphalt installation for a new driveway or for turnarounds, a second vehicle, or for recreation adjacent to an existing drive. This procedure is called a
new dig and requires five steps. The first of these is to determine the client's objectives and the site assessment. We need a thorough understanding of the client's objectives as well as an evaluation of the site for drainage, contours and other variables that might effect the installation. After reviewing these issues the second step is the excavation and removal of eight inches of dirt. This is followed by the installation, grading, and compressing of six inches of #304 limestone to create a sound and enduring base (other stone may be added if the base is soft). The fourth step is the paving and rolling of the asphalt to a 2" finish. The final step, as in all our work, is ensuring that we have met our client's expectations.
If the new dig is a turnarounds, a second vehicle, or for recreation adjacent to an existing drive, there will invariably be a visible seam between the two. This phenomenon can be minimized, but it cannot be eliminated..
* #304 limestone has aggregate of various shapes that measure from the size of a quarter down to a grain of sand. This variation allows it to be compressed into a very firm base in support of an asphalt installation.
