It prevents water from penetrating to the foundation of the asphalt, which can widen cracks and eventually create potholes. If water can’t flow into your asphalt cracks, it cannot wash away the foundation nor freeze and thaw which will further widen cracks.

Crack filling is arguably the most important step of the Sealcoating process to prolong the life of your asphalt. Also, it allows for the sealer to be applied correctly as sealer cannot fill cracks that go down to the foundation of your pavement. It’s important to note that cracks are filled strategically and not every crack gets filled unless there’s benefit to applying the hot tar. An example of when cracks wouldn’t be filled is when there is what we call in the industry gatoring (spiderweb looking cracks). The pavement at this point is far too damaged and the most we can hope for is to slow the the gatored area from getting bigger. We do this by outlining the area with crack filler and laying a bead right through the middle of the gatoring. This will slow the damage significantly.

There are two main ways to fill cracks:

1. Cold Pour Products: This material is dispensed from one-gallon, or five-gallon containers, then squeegee smooth as it fills the void. The type of crack filler that must be used is determined by the width, depth and severity of the cracks. Cracks less than 1/2 inch are filled with standard crack filler. Cracks larger than 1/2 inch would be filled with what is called a trowelable crack filler. It’s more viscous and fortified to hold up in theses larger cracks. Here at Beyond Sealcoating, we do not use cold pour crack filling products.
2. Hot Pour Products: Just as it sounds is hot, very hot. This crack filler usually comes in blocks and is melted down to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit, then applied to cleaned out asphalt cracks and smoothed. There are many methods to dispense and smooth hot tar crack filler, but the end goal is the same. Using hot rubberized tar is the superior way to fill cracks to prolong the life of your pavement. This is our preferred method of crack filling and is used on every driveway and parking lot we perform Sealcoating services.