Blacktop sealing- anybody do this professionally?

[berettafan]

Had driveway sealed last week. Seems this is the same gypsy type industry as paving fraught with questionable people, claims and products. I think we had the right stuff put down and will be ok but man the price has gone up.

So i get to looking and sub $20k gets the full array of equipment needed to do this. Already have the truck. The question i have is where do the quality pros source their sealer? Is it some product from an asphalt plant or are they buying drum from places like asphalt king online?

Tossing this idea around as a kind of mindless side gig where i would throw all profits into retirement funds and staying away from debt. I would think a straight shooting no BS operator could get a lot of referral work. My mother just had hers done and the guy shows up saying 'you gotta write the check out to me personally'. Then the guarantee has fine print and he forgot to bring the contract with him. Instant bad vibes right?

[john70t]

Originally Posted by berettafan

So i get to looking and sub $20k gets the full array of equipment needed to do this. Already have the truck. The question i have is where do the quality pros source their sealer? Is it some product from an asphalt plant or are they buying drum from places like asphalt king online?

$20k is nutz. I got a small drive hot-coated for $3-4k i think a few years ago.
That type is the best though and will probably last 5-10 years.
Hot asphalt gets in the pores and bonds to the similar chemicals from the original application.

A few years ago I power washed and used Whitmans (sp) petroleum-based out of Detroit. Still holds up.
An indy pro I spoke with uses the same.
Unfortunately I think my city has now banned the sale of such.

The latex-based with all those fancy polymer terms DO NO WORK.
For the last decade and a half I've tried many brands.
In less than a year or two they chip off and peel.
Then it's back to wasting my time and pw gasoline and cleaning chemicals to re-apply.

Originally Posted by berettafan

My mother just had hers done and the guy shows up saying 'you gotta write the check out to me personally'. Then the guarantee has fine print and he forgot to bring the contract with him. Instant bad vibes right?

He might not have a business license/insurance/etc would be my guess.
(Explaining that extra check income is his problem not yours.)

Consider the capitol gains though when it comes time to sell the property.

Anything invested is a write-off from taxable profit: Locks, mulch, plumbing, appliances, etc.
You should keep a receipt folder and offline backups (.doc .excel) (open office is free)
Personally I've been negligent in this and need to go through everything.

[berettafan]

Thanks John. The $20k figure was to buy sealing equipment and get rolling. My driveway was $950 for crack repair and sealing.

[Rick Lee]

I did for a summer job around 1989-90 in NJ. It was pretty good money and I wasn't even the boss. A school buddy started the biz and then it got too big for him to handle alone. I forget what he charged per s/f, but even today it'd have to be a very large driveway to run much more than $1000. He just bought the sealer at the local hardware store, probably called Hechingers back then.

[look 171]

Did you really expect some of these people who do this type of work to be or act professional? It isn't that much that's for sure.

[john70t]

I mis-read OP. He is wondering about starting the business.
and my memory estimate was probably way too high.
(I have no idea about where to source materials sorry)

Considerations:
Only a small viable weather work-window in the north. Getting them lined up.
Storage of materials and equipment.
Carbon tax licensing blah blah.
Insurance and training for scalding materials and big machine.
Advertising and price matching competition.
Repairing sections and big cracks with grass prep etc.
Sourcing workers. It's not a cushy desk job.

[berettafan]

So looking at your list John i've got answers to a good bit of it.

Already have a truck that can handle a skid mounted system. Have a detached two car garage that could house the skid and drums or a short-ish trailer mounted system. Would be kinda great to take two things i've spent a good amount of money on and get them working for me!

[john70t]

How many times can the hot tar be heated up. Some kind of thinner involved. Does it go bad.The chemistry.
Disposal of waste excess cost.
Heating cost and extra equipment.
Clientele. Home or parking lots. Big jobs = bigger equipment.
Rentals will have one idiot who doesn't move their car.
Guarantees and discounts for next contract.

[berettafan]

Product shelf life is indeed a question here. Disposal an excellent question if product ages out! Heating cost is propane- a question for the equipment mfr I suppose.
Small clientele for starters to get a handle on it. Parking lots would be an eventual goal.

This is helpful John, thanks!

I did talk with a state highway guy in charge of road contracts. he says you buy the sealer in drums or tanker full not from an asphalt plant. That impacts economies of scale but my math on a standard driveway material cost is around $40 at a reasonable bulk purchase level.

[Alan A]

The HD latex stuff works if you power wash the crap out of your driveway the day before and apply on a hot day. I mean power wash the detergent then wash again to rinse power wash, not a quick blow over. We did 5k sf and it's still holding up perfectly after 3 NE winters. I'll redo in the summer.

The real ones are using hot stuff they spray - it goes real fast that way - they spend more time masking your belgian block than actually applying the stuff.

You'll find that they spend a LOT of time on masking if they are doing it properly.

[KFC911]

Have you considered "striping" parking lots ... a college buddy stayed busy as a "worker" for an older friend's side-biz.... there were plenty of parking lots in the Research Triangle and lots of educated college labor, etc.

Don't breath the fumes yerself ... you line up the jobs ... get a coupla go-getters ...
cha-ching

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by KC911

... get a coupla go-getters ...

Ha ha. That's a good one in 2024!

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

Ha ha. That's a good one in 2024!

I haven't given it THAT much thought .... minor details

[cjh]

House down the street had a trailer with 2 of the 250 gallon totes on it and they were full of driveway sealer. Not sure what kind it had in it.