Reference
How often should you seal a driveway?
Seal an asphalt driveway every 3 years, and never in the first year after it is laid. That is the interval the HomeAlmanac app schedules for this job, adjusted for the systems your home actually has.
- How often
- Every 3 years
- Time needed
- 180 min
- Best time
- Summer
- Priority
- Low
Why it matters
Sealing keeps water out of the small cracks that freeze, widen, and become potholes. A sealed asphalt driveway lasts years longer than one left bare, and resealing costs a fraction of resurfacing.
How to do it
Pick two dry days above 50°F. Sweep the driveway, scrub oil spots with degreaser, and fill any crack wider than a quarter inch. Rinse, let it dry fully, then squeegee sealer on in thin coats, working in strips from the garage outward. Keep cars off for at least 24 hours.
When to do it
Best done in summer, and the app schedules it for that season automatically.
HomeAlmanac schedules this one for you, works out the next due date each time you mark it done, and reminds you before it is late.
Build your free planQuick answers
- How often should you seal a driveway?
- Seal an asphalt driveway every 3 years, and never in the first year after it is laid.
- Why does it matter?
- Sealing keeps water out of the small cracks that freeze, widen, and become potholes. A sealed asphalt driveway lasts years longer than one left bare, and resealing costs a fraction of resurfacing.
- What time of year should I do it?
- Best done in summer. Doing it late is usually worse than doing it early.