Frequently Asked Questions - Minta Contracting

1. Why should I seal my asphalt?

Sealcoating helps protect asphalt from the harmful effects of the sun. UV rays actually break down the tar in asphalt, oxidize asphalt and make it more brittle. This causes the asphalt to break down and crack. Sealer also helps to protect the asphalt against oils and gas spills.
2. Why should we choose Minta Contracting (MC)?

By choosing Minta Contracting as your pavement maintenance expert, you not only get the industry's leading products, you get a professional team of experts dedicated to excellence and quality.
3. How often should I sealcoat my driveway?

Depends on the condition of your driveway. Ignored and rough driveways will need to be sealed two years in a row. But the typical driveway should be sealed after every 2 to 3 years. Sealing your driveway every year, is just as bad as ignoring it. Over-sealing will create sealer build-up, which will peel off, making the driveway look horrible. New asphalt should be sealed within 1 to 2 years after installation.
4. My driveway has a lot of cracks. Will you crackfill these?

As part of our process, we will use hot crack filler to fill significant cracks. We define significant as cracks of roughly 1/2 inch to 1 inch. If your asphalt driveway has extensive alligatoring, we will not crack fill those areas. If we crack fill an alligatoring area, the tires from your car will leave marks or peel off the crack filler thereby making it look worse. We generally just seal over such areas. Yes, you will still be able to see the random cracks through the sealcoat in that area.
5. Do you do power-edge grass?

Every driveway will be power edged to ensure a manicured finish upon application of sealer, and will allow the pavement sealer to penetrate and seal the edges and prevent grass from growing in the edges of the driveway. If you have mulch-beds or rock-beds, they will be pushed back to expose the driveway edges. If you have brick pavers on the edge of your driveway, our dedicated workmanship is the cleanest in the business and we will ensure that no sealer reaches any non-targeted surface.
6. How do you clean the pavement?

We use high power blowers to remove all dirt, debris, mulch, and dust from your driveway. Good preparation is key to ensure that the pavement sealer bonds properly on the asphalt driveway.
7. Do treat the oil areas?

Yes. We will apply latex based oil spot primer to all oil, gas, and grease spots on the driveway to provide a good cohesive bond with the pavement sealer and reduce bleed-through.

8. Do I have to do anything before you arrive?

Not at all, we will take care of everything. Although we do ask that any vehicles you will need to use within 2 days are moved out of the garage and off the driveway before we arrive.
9. Does weather make a difference in the sealcoating process?

Yes, if rain is forecast for the day we schedule your work. MDS staff member will call you to reschedule your appointment. We generally call the night before if the forecast calls for rain. We recognize that this is an inconvenience, but if will seal your driveway and it rains before it dries, the sealer will get on your siding, garage doors, and sidewalks.
10. How soon can we use our driveway after it is sealed?

Depending on the temperature, the sealer dries in a few hours and is OK to walk on. However, the sealer needs 2 days or 48 hours to totally cure before automobile traffic begins.
11. Is it ever too hot or cold to sealcoat?

Yes. The sealer manufacturer recommends 50 degrees and above.
12. What will the final product look like?

Sealcoating will give your driveway uniform black color look that many people find very attractive. When you examine the surface, however, you will still be able to see areas that have been crack filled or patched due to the different texture of the asphalt and materials. A regularly maintained driveway has much smoother look than ignored and rough driveway.
13. Do you do small asphalt repair and patches also?

Yes. We are specialized in asphalt apron and pothole repair. If when you need a new driveway or a bigger patching job, we have a few reputable contractors we work with and would be happy to recommend one of those companies to you
14. What time will you be here?

We complete several projects in a day and sometimes delays and re-routing the order of our jobs is necessary. This makes it very hard to give exact times, however, if you have a special need or request we will try our best to accomodate. The earliest we would begin a residential project is 7 am. We typically work until sundown in the peak months.