When it comes time to seal an asphalt driveway, homeowners are often presented with different types of products – commonly described as oil-based or water-based sealers.
Those names can be confusing, and they sometimes lead people to believe that an oil-based sealer is made from “real petroleum,” while a water-based asphalt sealer is somehow a weaker or completely different material mixed into water. That isn’t necessarily the case.
One of the most important things homeowners should understand is that asphalt emulsion sealer is still an asphalt-based, petroleum-derived product. Asphalt itself is a petroleum product, derived from crude oil. The major difference is not whether the product contains asphalt – it is how that asphalt is made workable for application.
Traditional oil-based products often use petroleum solvents or distillates to thin the asphalt and keep it in a liquid form. Asphalt emulsion, on the other hand, uses a different technology. Tiny droplets of asphalt are suspended in water with the help of an emulsifying agent. This allows the asphalt to be applied as a liquid without relying on the same type of petroleum solvent system. Think of the water as a carrier, not as a replacement for the asphalt. Once an asphalt emulsion sealer is applied to the driveway, the emulsion is designed to “break.” As the water evaporates and the product cures, the asphalt particles come together and form the protective asphalt-based coating on the pavement. In other words, the water helps make the product practical to apply – but it is not the material left behind to protect your driveway. This is why calling asphalt emulsion simply “water-based” can sometimes be misleading. While water is an important part of the liquid product during application, the primary protective ingredient is still asphalt. Typical asphalt emulsions can contain a substantial percentage of asphalt, along with water and a small amount of emulsifying agents and performance additives.
For homeowners, the key takeaway is simple: water-based does not automatically mean weak, watered-down, or less legitimate. Asphalt emulsion technology has been used extensively in pavement construction and maintenance for decades, including applications involving roads and pavement preservation.
The best driveway sealer is ultimately one that is properly formulated for the application and correctly applied under suitable conditions. Whether you’re comparing products based on durability, appearance, curing characteristics, or environmental considerations, it is important to look beyond the simple labels of “oil-based” and “water-based.” After all, when you’re talking about a quality asphalt emulsion sealer, you’re still talking about asphalt protecting asphalt.
Ideal Asphalt | 613-935-1990 | contact@idealasphalt.ca | www.idealasphalt.ca
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