Continuing with the previous post’s theme, the winter season is upon us! Meaning we are in the fall season as we speak. Many love the fall season and it is easily seen why. The leaves changing, the many holidays celebrated, and the happy feeling that it still is not winter. Speaking of winter, there are many pros and cons to the winter season. One major con being the harsh Southern Ontario winter weather’s effect on driveways. As a homeowner, there’s a good chance that you have some sense of pride when it comes to your driveway, and rightfully so. We have you covered because today we’re discussing why fall is the ideal time to seal your driveway to protect it from the inevitable crazy winter weather that is incoming.
Winters Effect on Your Driveway
With every Southern Ontario winter, you’re going to be dealing with snow, ice, hail, rain, and freezing temperatures; all of this can be harmful to the well-being of your driveway. These weather conditions can lead to water seeping into the small cracks in your driveway, which will then expand and contract, damaging the driveway. This creates large cracks in the driveway meaning you will have to repair it come the springtime, and on top of that, it’s a definite eye sore. This will cost money in repairs as well as the labour involved, however, there are preventative measures that can be taken to severely lessen any chance of this happening to your driveway. The best measure that can be taken is without a doubt, sealing your driveway. Now, this is a very tough task to pull off in the winter, and often times when attempted, the job is not well done, and you do not receive the protection that your driveway needs. You’re going to spend the money on a sealer and will put in the work (most likely), so the job should at least be done right. The question is then “so when is the right time to seal your driveway?”, in which the answer is simple, that being the fall season.
Why Seal Your Driveway in the Fall
The fall season is a perfect time to seal your driveway and there are many reasons why that make it the ideal time. One is that the fall temperatures are the optimal temperature for sealing. This is because it is not incredibly hot like the summer temperatures, and not incredibly cold like the winter temperatures. Both weather extreme’s make for less effective sealing to take place, in some cases rendering it completely ineffective. With cool consistent temperatures for the most part, fall is the perfect season for driveway sealing. Having the temperature be more consistent is a major factor in the effectiveness of your driveway being sealed. The sporadic weather ranges that the winter and summer seasons have make driveway sealing incredibly tough to do effectively. In a perfect driveway sealing world, the temperature would never change for the duration of the sealing, which would ensure maximum protection for the longest period of time. One last major reason why the fall season is the perfect time to seal your driveway is that the weather overall is dry relative to the other seasons. As outlined earlier, the weather conditions that provide moisture are the ones most harmful to your driveway, and the same is applied when you’re in the process of sealing your driveway. The liquid that comes into contact with your driveway makes the sealing less effective and shortens its life span, by preventing the sealer from doing its job. Fall has the odd rainfall but for the most part, it’s a dry season so there are many opportunities for the sealing process to be done perfectly, ensuring maximum protection and duration.
Where Can You Find Some Effective Sealers
Why at Form and Build of course! We have a wide variety of products that can seal your driveway, and given your newfound knowledge on the subject, ensure that the sealing is effective too. Do you have exposed concrete? What about exposed aggregate? Then we’d definitely recommend the W.R. Meadows Expo-Gloss. This sealer is recommended for exposed aggregate and concrete, and is a transparent, high solids, film-forming, curing, sealing, and dust-proofing compound that improves resistance to staining and wear. It will enhance the beauty of natural stone in exposed aggregate concrete, while providing maximum surface protection, and when finished it provides a glossy-wet look. Is your driveway a stamped concrete driveway? Then look no further than the Formex Decorative Concrete Sealer. It is a non-yellowing, acrylic-based, high solids, liquid curing and sealing compound for decorative concrete. It is clear, transparent, and easy-to-apply while offering improved resistance to water, alkalis, mild acids, and petroleum spirits. It has been formulated to seal and protect decorative coloured concrete by producing a hard, breathable, clear film. Both of these amazing products are available at Form and Build, and you can look more into them by clicking the links, by visiting www.formandbuild.com, or by giving us a call and speaking with a sales representative.
