Question 1

What do you do with waste such as empty barrels, a water box that needs cleaning, etc.?

Accepted Answer

Before you take anything to Waste Management, you should run a few searches to find someone who can recycle steel drums and other materials as scrap. It is not environmentally responsible for these materials to end up in your local landfill. Most of your options will require that you clean the sealer off the drums beforehand.

You can also participate in local upcycling projects. After cleaning, many locations like schools or your local recreation district may want drums or totes to be repurposed. An example is a school that lets the students paint the drums and then uses them as trash cans.

Remember, you should not simply spray the inside of the sealer or chemical containers and then dump the result on the ground. Instead, you can save the water to use in other applications, such as dilution on a job site, without risking your local environment.

Question 2

What is the going rate per foot for sealcoating these days?

Accepted Answer

For residential sealcoating work, we recommend charging between $0.35 to $0.45 per square foot. Commercial work, on the other hand, should be closer to $0.20. Typically, the commercial rate is less because you complete commercial work on larger scales that require less equipment movement and drive time during the day.

What you charge will depend on your location, the products you use, the cost of labor, the demand for your services, and similar factors. You can also monetize other services that often come with sealcoating during the same visit, like crack filling, cleaning, or line striping. You may even offer small discounts for bundling services.

Question 3

What does the competition look like in the sealcoating business?

Accepted Answer

The demand for asphalt sealcoating services is enormous, and there are trillions of miles of asphalt that need maintenance. As long as you present your services correctly and do a good job, there will always be demand for your services. In many cases, companies report barely being able to keep up with all the demand.

In most areas, it's not about whether there is competition. Remember, home and business owners will need your services every two to three years to maintain their property. Building that repeat client base means you never need to worry about the competition.

Question 4

How many square feet will a gallon of sealer do?

Accepted Answer

Brushes and squeegees yield 40 to 50 square feet per gallon. A single coat with a sprayer can produce upwards of 100 square feet per gallon on newer asphalt and 70 square feet per gallon on older asphalt.

Your calculations for sealer volumes should include the state of the asphalt. Sealer adds compounds to the asphalt that promote flexibility, so older or less maintained asphalt needs a little more TLC than asphalt laid a year ago.

Additionally, a sprayer system typically delivers a more uniform thin coat of sealer than the manual process can. However, even if you have an experienced asphalt maintenance crew, you are extremely unlikely to deliver the same precision as a sprayer system. Therefore more sealer is used with a brush and squeegee.

Question 5

Do you have to start with the full package, or can you start with a crack filler and a portable sealer?

Accepted Answer

You can definitely start with a single service if you need to. Crack sealing, for example, is the most in-demand service in asphalt maintenance. When crack sealing, you can charge $1 to $1.20 per linear foot. Meanwhile, your costs are only $0.14 to $0.16 per linear foot of crack sealing.

We do recommend starting with a full package if you have the capital available. Doing so helps you establish and grow your business quickly within your community. It also means that you will not need to change your business model later, which most people find helpful.

Question 6

Under which weather conditions can the sealing be done?

Accepted Answer

You need weather conditions that are hotter than 55 degrees Fahrenheit to apply sealer. Below that, the water does not evaporate quickly enough, and it drags out the drying process. In addition, the slower process decreases the chances of a uniform sealcoat as well since there is a greater chance of rain or traffic impacting the process.

Remember, cure time is not the same as dry time. Dry time is quick, often lasting four to eight hours depending on the additives you use and your local conditions. Dry time means people can walk on the sealer without tracking it everywhere. Cure time takes up to a week, and it's the bonding process between the sealer and the asphalt.

Question 7

In extreme Texas heat, how long does the seal coat last?

Accepted Answer

Typically, the increased heat means sealcoating should happen every two years to maintain your customer's properties. The heat dries out the asphalt quickly and speeds up the evaporation of the flexible compounds in asphalt. Without a strict sealcoating schedule, the asphalt will be prone to cracking.

Heat is common in any of the Southern states, and more states are documenting hotter summers. As a sealcoating specialist, you can advocate double sealcoat layers and lower dilution rates to increase the durability of each job. Additionally, helping people maintain a two-to-three-year sealcoating cycle also helps with the lifespan of the asphalt.

Question 8

Does the seal coat starter package require heat like tar would?

Accepted Answer

Sealer does not require heat before application. The sealer comes in an ambient temperature state, and it is already a liquid. Depending on the sealer you're using for sealcoating, it may come with dilution instructions that you should follow.

If you're thinking of heat in terms of Asphalt Kingdom's offerings, you may be thinking of crack sealing. A hot crack sealer does require heat to melt it to its usable form. However, even in crack sealing, there are cold options that require no heat.

Question 9

How do you know how to dilute sealer?

Accepted Answer

In general, you should speak with your asphalt sealer manufacturer regarding the dilution rates you need to know about. Each sealer is formulated a little differently and tolerates dilution at distinct rates. You may also need to discuss your specific climate with your manufacturer.

At Asphalt Kingdom, sealer comes ready to use so that you do not need to worry about dilution. However, if you are having issues spraying the sealer, we recommend calling our expert customer support team for advice rather than starting to dilute.

Question 10

For a new sealcoating company, what percentage of new business typically comes from door-knocking?

Accepted Answer

Door-knocking is a valuable tool, and it typically works well for asphalt maintenance companies. However, the precise percentage of sales you can get from door knocking varies, especially if residential is not the only area of your business. For example, the founder of Asphalt Kingdom, Judd, closed an astonishing 40% of the doors his company knocked on.

If you're going to use door-knocking as a tactic, make sure you set it up correctly. You should first contact your local authorities about solicitation permits. Then you can set up a demonstration job at a discount. Your team can use that demonstration to encourage other people in the same neighborhood to purchase your services.

Question 11

Does concrete get seal coated at any point like asphalt driveways?

Accepted Answer

Yes, people can seal coat concrete using specialty concrete sealers. No, we do not recommend adding that as a service to your asphalt maintenance company. We feel that sealcoating concrete goes outside the asphalt maintenance niche.

Branding is an essential component of how your asphalt maintenance company obtains new customers, even if no one ever tells you that that's why they picked your company. You want to remain focused on your niche and not bring any unrelated services into your business, so you do not muddy your customers' perceptions.

Question 12

I'm starting out by hand with no overhead and no credit. Would I still charge the same as with using a sprayer?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can. You can also charge more than someone using a sprayer to cover the additional labor time and crew costs. While the typical sprayer may charge between $0.35 and $0.45 per square foot, you could go up to $0.50 to cover your expenses.

Choosing to charge a higher fee can be challenging, especially if you know your competition is using a sprayer. However, it comes down to valuing your time and talents. You only have so many hours in the day, and you need to make a living as well. We also recommend setting aside a portion of each job to upgrade your equipment when you can.

Question 13

Do you provide proposals to obtain financing?

Accepted Answer

Asphalt Kingdom does not provide the actual proposals to obtain financing. Many of the options we see people use, such as PayPal, do not require full proposals either.

Asphalt Kingdom does have a financing partner that you can work with. Simply reach out to our customer support team for information how we can help you launch your asphalt maintenance business.

Another option is PayPal. When we wrote this FAQ, PayPal offered a 6-month, 0-interest option for qualified applicants. If you immediately invest your time into your business, you can pay back the loan before the interest starts compounding.

Another option, and one that we recommend, is finding someone in your community to partner with. You may not have initial capital on your own, but partnering with a family member or friend may mean having the money between the pair of you. Plus, you will have help running your business.

Question 14

Is there a wrong way to apply the sealer? Or is it an easy skill to learn?

Accepted Answer

There is a right way to apply sealer since you want a thorough coat without leaving any on the surface that may flake later. If you cover every square foot with a brush and squeegee, chances are you have a thorough coat. With a sealer spraying system, you may need to do your own driveway as practice to ensure you overlap the sealer appropriately.

With that in mind, applying sealer is a relatively easy skill to learn. Asphalt Kingdom produced a practical video demonstrating the overlapping fan pattern that we use to ensure a high-quality sealcoat for every customer.

Question 15

On my spray bar on my truck, is coal tar different from asphalt emulsion when sprayed through my spray bar?

Accepted Answer

Asphalt emulsion is generally a thicker product and not as open to dilution as coal tar sealers are. However, both will deliver added asphalt-sustaining bitumen compounds to your client's property. Your spray bar should provide an even thorough coat with both products.

You may find that your spray bar system is not optimized for the thicker asphalt emulsion. This consistency can lead to an increased incidence of clogging. Additionally, regardless of what type of sealcoat you are using, keeping your equipment clean is paramount. This procedure ensures that your sealcoat actually applies in an even layer where you want it.

Question 16

One of my concerns about getting started is that I'm worried about approaching the customer with a quote. It will just be a reminder to call back the person who sealcoated it last. Is that normal?

Accepted Answer

Starting a new business is challenging, and overcoming your fears is one of the many challenges you will need to overcome. However, regardless of your specific fear, it's vital to start anyway. Even if this scenario happens once, there will always be another potential customer who chooses your services immediately.

The best way to overcome these sorts of fears is to focus on being professional. You can brand yourself, know your asphalt maintenance practices, and provide value to all of your customers. When you feel in control and able to solve problems, it's much harder to worry about the customers that do not choose you.

Question 17

How do you try and get past the part about not having experience in asphalt maintenance?

Accepted Answer

The first step is deciding to overcome the fear. Whether that fear is around sales or never having done asphalt maintenance before, deciding that you're going to go for it is a necessary step in the business-building process. You can do this, and you can do this well.

Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. ~Les Brown

If you're hovering over the place equipment order button, trying to gain your first client, or dealing with your first rejection, remember to take the next step. You can achieve what you set out to do so long as you never give up.

Question 18

Have you ever used any of the colors for seal coating, and if so, is there a demand for it?

Accepted Answer

Asphalt Kingdom has never used or sold colored seal coating materials. We've only ever worked with black sealcoat.

If you would like to work with a colored sealcoat, investigate your local area and see if many areas use it. Then you must consider that popular color sealcoats cannot be used on any surfaces that have ever been sealcoated with a non-acrylic formulation like coal tar.

Question 19

How do I compete with companies charging 40 cents a foot for hot rubber crack sealer?

Accepted Answer

First, it's essential to understand what companies offering those rates are doing. Are they covering commercial parking lots with over 10,000 linear feet of cracks? Or are they trying to make a quick buck on residential sealing? The situation makes a huge difference in why their price point is where it is.

The way you compete with this is differentiation, usually through work quality. You want to be professional, shake people's hands, and then deliver the highest quality crack sealing they've ever seen. You also want to leave clients on a positive note, even if they chose the other company, as you may be who gets called in to fix the cheap company's mistakes.

Question 20

Do you have to pressure wash to prepare the driveway?

Accepted Answer

The answer is that it depends. In most cases, pressure washing driveways is not necessary before you can start sealcoating. In fact, it may be detrimental to how your sealcoat cures. Typically, it's better to run a stiff bristle manual or rotary broom over the surface followed by a blower when you are preparing a surface.

However, suppose you have a driveway that is caked in mud, covered in mineral streaks, or something else. In that case, power washing is a useful tool. If possible, give the area a little time to dry before applying the sealcoat to minimize how much moisture is trapped.

Question 21

How does the crack sealer work on very big cracks? Where I live, the parking lots are all in horrible shape.

Accepted Answer

The answer depends on your definition of very big. If the cracks are under 1 inch wide, you can use a hot crack sealer, though if the crack is over ¾ inch wide, you'll need to layer applications to make sure both sides of the crack bond to the sealer.

If the cracks are over 1 inch wide, you're talking about using mastics. Mastics are distinct from crack sealers and require that you make a steep investment into a mastic kettle and separate applicators. However, mastics are used on large joints and cracks, so if you invest in the equipment, you will always have a use for it.

Question 22

What is a good way to clean up accidental overspray after it dries?

Accepted Answer

If possible, you should try to prevent overspray before it dries. If that's not possible, overspray is very difficult to clean, and the best method varies by surface. Power washing is an option but poses a problem for fresh sealcoat. On concrete, you can use mineral spirits. Some people have also had success with multi-surface stain removers.

If you see overspray before it dries, you can clean it up fairly quickly. The easiest method is a five-gallon bucket of clean water and large sponges. Once you see overspray, simply mop it up with the sponge.

Question 23

Should the engine on the AK230 be idled up while spraying, or should it be at a low idle?

Accepted Answer

The AK230 is a great system for medium businesses and offers excellent reliability with proper maintenance. In addition, the pump is self-priming, so there is no need to worry about whether idling will impact readiness to spray.

Question 24

If you price out a sealcoat job and you're going to do two coats, how much is the going rate for the 2nd coat? Half of what you're charging for the first coat?

Accepted Answer

With a second coat, you have options on how you price it. We recommend charging 25% to 50% of what you charge for the first coat to apply a second. For easy math, you would take your figure the cost for the first layer of sealcoat and then multiply that by 1.25 or 1.5 to get the price for both coats.

If you think about it, the second coat has less overhead than the first coat. You do not need to move the equipment and crew, nor do you need to prep the surface again. However, the figure you quote should cover the crew wages, machine maintenance, and sealer material costs.

Question 25

How do you know if you will need one coat or two when sealcoating?

Accepted Answer

The look of the asphalt informs you whether you need a single or double coat. Unhealthy asphalt looks aged, porous, and takes on a gray or brown tone as it oxidizes. This asphalt really needs two coats of sealcoat. Healthy, black asphalt under less stress in a residential area typically only needs one.

Doing two coats is never a bad option, however, and it ensures the life of the asphalt. You simply must make sure you're quoting prices accordingly for single or double coats. In addition, you are still running a business, so you must cover material and labor costs.

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