Sealcoating - Eau Claire and northwestern Wisconsin
Driveway and Parking Lot Sealcoating
Priced by the square foot, and the number is fixed before we start. Sealer is a wear layer: it takes the sun, the salt and the freeze so the asphalt underneath doesn't. Cracks filled hot first, edges cut in by hand, two coats where it needs two.
Booking now. Sealer needs warm pavement to cure, so the season closes well before the year does.
Does yours actually need sealing?
How we read a surface before quoting it
Some surfaces that look bad are fine, and some that look fine are not.
- It has gone gray and chalky but it's smoothTextbook case. That's the wear layer gone and exactly what sealer replaces. Repairable
- Thin cracks running with the drive, under a quarter inchSeal them now and they stay cheap. Left open, water gets under and freezes. Repairable
- It was paved last year and still looks blackNew asphalt needs to cure before its first seal, usually 6 to 12 months. Too early is a real thing and we would rather book you for next season. Depends, send a photo
- Cracked into squares, like dried mud, and it flexes underfootThat's the base failing, not the surface. Sealing it hides the problem for one season and wastes your money. Those areas get cut out and patched. Needs replacement
- Potholes, or a low spot that holds water after rainRepair first, seal after. Standing water is usually a grade or a drainage problem and it'll take the new sealer with it. Needs replacement
- Loose stone comes up when you scuff it with your shoeRaveling. Early on, sealer locks it back down. Advanced, it needs an overlay. This is the one worth having us look at rather than guessing. Depends, send a photo
Not sure which one you have? Send a photo of the worst area.
What makes a seal job last
Sealer doesn't stick to dirt. It doesn't stick to oil, it doesn't bridge an open crack, and it doesn't cure in the cold. Almost every failed driveway in this valley failed for one of those four reasons, and all four happen before the sealer ever comes off the truck. Which is why the part of this job that matters is the part that happens before anything looks different.
The cheap job
What a low bid usually buys
- Blown off, maybe, and sealed straight over whatever is left
- Cracks sprayed across rather than filled, so water still gets under
- Sealer thinned with water to stretch the drum further
- One thin coat, sprayed to the edges, apron included
- Looks excellent for about six weeks
What we do
And why each step is there
- Blown clean and edged, and oil spots primed so sealer can bond
- Cracks over a quarter inch filled with hot rubber first
- Sealer mixed to the manufacturer's spec, with the sand it calls for
- Edges and aprons cut in by hand, two coats where traffic warrants
- Left to cure properly, with the drive-on time in writing
The difference doesn't show on the day. It shows in the second spring.
From our jobs
Job Photos
Driveways and parking lots are priced differently.
A driveway is a fixed-price job we can quote from the square footage. A lot needs walking first, because what's under it changes the number more than its size does.
Driveway
The standard residential job.
$0.15 to $0.25 per square foot
A typical Chippewa Valley driveway runs 800 to 1,200 square feet, so most are quoted by the foot. Driveway sealcoating in Eau Claire
- Blown clean, edges trimmed, oil spots primed
- Cracks over a quarter inch filled hot before any sealer goes down
- Edges and the garage apron cut in by hand, not sprayed at
- Two coats on high-traffic areas and turnarounds
Parking lot
Commercial, quoted per lot after we walk it.
Quoted per lot
Square footage sets the floor and condition sets the rest. A lot that needs crack sealing and two patches before sealer is a different number from one that just needs the wear layer renewed.
- Cure times up front: 24 to 48 hours before traffic
- Crack sealing and patching in the same bid, not a second contractor
- Restriping to the existing layout, or a new one
- Written scope, so the bid can go straight into a budget
What decides the price.
Residential sealcoating runs about $0.15 to $0.25 per square foot, the rate Black Widow has published for years. Everything else is measured rather than guessed at, and your number is fixed before work starts.
Two-car driveway
Roughly 600 to 900 sq ft
Measured on site
- Clean, crack fill, one to two coats
- Most in-town driveways
Larger or rural driveway
Roughly 900 to 2,000 sq ft
Measured on site
- The common case out in the townships
- Long drives are measured, not estimated by eye
Small commercial lot
Roughly 8,000 to 20,000 sq ft
Measured on site
- Church, clinic, small retail
- Crack sealing usually included
Larger lot
20,000 sq ft and up
Measured on site
- Quoted after a walk
- Striping and patching priced separately
What moves it: how much crack filling it needs, whether there are areas that have to be cut out and patched first, how much hand cutting the edges take, and access. Anything we find that changes the number gets said before we start, not after.
How the Work Goes
The same six steps on a driveway and on a 40,000 square foot lot.
We look at it and price it
Free, and on site for anything commercial. If the surface has gone past what sealer can help, we say so then rather than taking the job.
Clean and prep
Blown down, edges trimmed back where grass has crept in, oil and fuel spots primed. Sealer won't bond to any of those, and skipping this is the single most common reason a job fails early.
Crack filling, hot
Anything over about a quarter inch gets direct-fire rubber at 400 degrees, which flows into the crack and bonds to its walls. Cold pourable filler sits on top and pulls away by the second winter.
Cut in by hand
Edges, garage aprons, around drains and islands. Hand work, because a spray wand at the edge either misses it or covers your concrete.
Sealcoat, twice on high-wear areas
Turnarounds, entrances and drive lanes wear faster than the rest and get two. The rest of the lot gets one, because a second coat there adds no life.
Cure time, in writing
Usually 24 hours before a car and 48 before anything heavy or before turning the wheels while stopped. It depends on the temperature and humidity that afternoon, so we give you the real number on the day.
Where We Do This
We seal driveways and lots across northwestern Wisconsin, from Menomonie east to Stanley and north to Chetek.
How much does it cost to sealcoat a driveway?
How often should a driveway be sealed?
How late in the year can you seal?
How long before I can drive on a freshly sealed driveway?
Do you use coal tar?
Can you seal a lot without closing it?
My driveway is cracked everywhere. Is sealing still worth it?
Tell us what it looks like.
Free estimates on driveways and lots anywhere in the service area. A photo helps, but on anything commercial we would rather walk it. Surfaces that are not ready to seal get told so at the estimate, not after.
(715) 450-9897Call and describe it. On a driveway we can usually tell you what you're looking at while you're on the phone.
Get an estimate
Send the form and we'll call you back. The estimate is free.