Weather experts warn that big temperature changes are coming to Arizona. Living in Arizona already brings plenty of sunshine. You enjoy beautiful mountain views and spend your entire year enjoying warm weather. But this constant sunlight and intense high-desert heat can take a heavy toll on your residence’s outdoor surfaces. Asphalt driveways are out there exposed to all those UV rays and seasonal monsoon rains that make their surfaces fade, crack, turn brittle, and eventually break down over time. So, how do you prolong your asphalt’s lifespan?
If you don’t want your smooth blacktop driveway to quickly turn into a brittle, gray surface filled with eyesores and tripping hazards, make sure you are doing proper maintenance. Protecting your investment starts with choosing the right protective treatment. Here’s what every Arizonan needs to know about choosing the best driveway sealer to withstand Arizona’s climate.
Why Arizona Heat Is So Harsh on Asphalt Driveways
If you have already looked into the pros & cons of chip and seal driveways, you might benefit from learning why asphalt is so flexible. It uses natural petroleum oils to stay resilient all the time. When you subject it to intense sun exposure, those essential oils go poof in a process we dub “oxidation.” The evaporation of oils makes the binder dry out and, since this binder is what keeps the rock and sand together, your driveway begins to lose its black color and flexibility.
Once the surface of your asphalt driveway becomes brittle, even daily vehicular traffic leads to small surface cracks that open up due to the asphalt’s flexibility decline. Monsoon rains open these small gaps and soften the underlying dirt foundation as well. That’s how you get potholes. A high-grade asphalt sealer acts like a sunblock for your pavement as it locks in vital oils and stops water from penetrating into the driveway’s dirt foundation.
Key Features of a Heat-Resistant Driveway Sealer
If you wish to winterize your home from the inside out, you must also protect your driveway from the harms of excessive summer temperatures. You should choose sealers enriched with the right polymers that reflect ultraviolet radiation and reduce surface oxidation. Standard coatings can often become sticky or track onto your shoes when pavement temperatures spike. So, using a quality sealant will cure firm while remaining flexible enough to expand & contract without ever peeling. Sudden summer downpours need a strong moisture barrier that doesn’t let water seep into small pores.
Don’t Skip the Cracks: Choosing the Right Crack Filler
If you decide to renew your property’s sealcoating, don’t skip the cracks. Applying a top layer of sealer over an open gap won’t fix the underlying structural issues. When you decide it’s time to treat the entire surface, you need to repair all open fractures first to stop moisture from ruining the sub-base. Using a dedicated asphalt crack sealer or driveway crack sealer will ensure you can successfully apply a full topcoat in the end. Rubberized hot-pour or high-grade cold-pour fillers will be suitable for your property in Tucson.
Professional Application vs. DIY Products
While hardware store buckets of driveway sealer are widely available, DIY mixtures are often thin, water-based emulsions that wear away after just one season. That’s why you should go with professional-grade commercial sealcoats that have commercial fillers. They offer refined coal tar or asphalt emulsions that provide further weather resistance. Professional sealcoating ensures that your driveway’s surface gets proper cleaning. It also provides proper crack prep and uniform coating coverage at the right temperatures. So, you get a durable, deep-black finish that stays there for years rather than withering away in just a few months.
If your driveway is faded, dry, or showing signs of wear, Sunrise Asphalt is here to help with the right driveway sealer. With over 40 years of local experience in Tucson, our team knows how to protect asphalt from the toughest Southern Arizona weather.
