Driveways
Driveway sealing cost
Sealcoating a 60 × 12 ft asphalt driveway is about $250 — at about $0.30 a square foot most driveways pay the contractor's minimum — and $354 with the cracks filled and the oil spots primed. Yourself, it is 4 pails of sealer and a squeegee, about $176. A concrete driveway takes a penetrating sealer, about $518. Sealer is a coating, not a repair: every 3 years, with the cracks filled first, and not at all once the base has failed.
Written and edited by Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Last reviewed 2026-09-27 · Nothing you type leaves your browser
Driveway sealing cost calculator
The driveway, its cracks, and who seals it
Sealer is a coating: the cracks are filled first, and the job is repeated every few years, not every year.
Two thin coats of asphalt-emulsion sealer, cracks filled first.
Along the drive.
720 sq ft.
Total length.
Primed first.
Patched full depth.
The web of cracks where the base is failing.
A sealcoating contractor.
Used only to pick a regional labour rate. It stays in your browser.
720 sq ft asphalt driveway sealcoated
$354
$0.49 a sq ft · 4 pails · $1,288 over 10 years
A coating, not a repair
Sealer keeps the sun and oil off and the surface black; it fills nothing. Every 3 years, with the cracks filled first — every year builds a skin that peels.
Weather and cure
Dry, above 50 °F, a day to cure.
Sealer goes on a clean, dry surface on a day above about 50 °F with no rain for 24 hours, and cars stay off for a day or two. New asphalt waits six to twelve months for its first coat.
Once, and for ten years
720 sq ft, with the cracks and oil spots above.
What the contractor charges for
- Sealcoating 720 sq ft
Cleaned, edged, and two coats sprayed or squeegeed, about $0.30 a sq ft.$216 - Up to the job minimum
A sealcoating crew's minimum for a small driveway.$34 - 40 ft of cracks filled
Routed out and filled with hot rubberised or cold-pour filler before sealing.$64 - 2 oil spots primed
An oil stain cleaned and primed so the sealer bonds over it, per spot.$40
What it costs
National average. 720 sq ft of asphalt sealcoated in two coats, cracks filled, oil spots primed. Not included: resurfacing, or a new driveway.
An overlay or a new asphalt driveway, on the asphalt calculator; concrete instead, on the concrete driveway page; cleaning it first, on the pressure washing page.
Worth knowing
- 720 sq ft in 2 coats at about 80 sq ft a gallon a coat: 18 gallons, 4 pails of 5. A contractor charges by the foot — about $0.30 — or a minimum of about $250 for a small drive.
- It is a coating, not a repair: Sealcoat is a cosmetic and UV coating, not a structural repair. It fills nothing, carries nothing, and applied every year it builds into a brittle skin that cracks off in sheets.. Every 3 years is protection — 4 sealings in ten years, about $1,288 — and every year is damage.
- 40 ft of cracks filled first — about $64 — with hot rubberised filler or cold pour, because sealer bridges a crack for a month and then splits along it.
- New asphalt is left six to twelve months before its first coat. Seal on a dry day above about 50 °F with no rain for 24 hours, and keep cars off for a day or two. Asphalt-emulsion or acrylic sealers — coal-tar sealers are banned in several states and many cities.
On this page — 4 sections
A coating, priced by the foot and the minimum
The short version
- 60 × 12 ft asphalt: $250. Most driveways pay the minimum.
- With cracks and oil spots: $354.
- Yourself: $176 for 4 pails and a squeegee.
- Every 3 years, not every year.
Sealcoat is a thin coating that keeps sun, water and oil off asphalt and makes it black again. A contractor charges about $0.30 a square foot for two coats — but most residential driveways are small enough that the crew’s minimum, about $250, sets the price. Cracks are filled and oil spots primed first, and those are where a quote grows. Done yourself it is a Saturday, a few pails of sealer and a squeegee.
$250
Sealcoated
60 × 12 ft
$354
With repairs
40 ft cracks, 2 spots
$176
Yourself
4 pails + kit
$518
Concrete
Penetrating sealer
MaterialsEstimator, Driveway sealing price survey · checked 2026-09-27
MaterialsEstimator, Asphalt paving and repair price survey · checked 2026-09-16
Sealer fills nothing
Sealcoat is a cosmetic and UV coating, not a structural repair. It fills nothing, carries nothing, and applied every year it builds into a brittle skin that cracks off in sheets. Cracks are filled before it — hot rubberised filler or cold pour — because sealer bridges a crack for a few weeks and then splits along it. Potholes and small alligatored patches are cut out and repaved full depth. And when alligator cracking covers more than about 30% of the driveway, the base has failed: sealing is money spent on the look of a driveway that needs an overlay or rebuilding.
| Seal it | Resurface or replace | |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | Grey, oxidised, fine cracks | Alligator cracking, potholes, sinking |
| What it costs | $354 | The asphalt calculator |
| What it does | Keeps sound asphalt sound | Fixes the base |
National Asphalt Pavement Association, Guidance on residential driveway construction and maintenance · checked 2026-09-16
Doing it properly
A clean, dry surface — swept, hosed and edged; cracks filled and oil spots primed; two thin coats of asphalt-emulsion or acrylic sealer by squeegee or spray, a day apart; a dry day above about 50 °F with no rain for 24 hours; and no cars for a day or two. New asphalt waits six to twelve months before its first coat. Coal-tar sealers, which shed PAHs, are banned in several states and many cities; the emulsion sealers sold at stores are not coal tar.
Pavement Coatings Technology Council / sealer manufacturers, Pavement sealer application guidance and product data · checked 2026-09-27
MaterialsEstimator, Asphalt coverage, millings and sealcoat survey · checked 2026-09-16
What goes wrong
Before sealing
- Cracks measured and filled.
- Oil spots cleaned and primed.
- Alligator cracking and potholes checked.
- A dry day above 50 °F, no rain for 24 hours.
- The driveway at least six months old.
01Sealing every year
It builds a brittle skin that peels in sheets.
Instead — Every 3 years.
02Sealing over open cracks
The sealer splits along them within weeks.
Instead — Fill them first.
03Sealing a failed driveway
It hides alligator cracking for a season.
Instead — Resurface or replace.
04One thick coat
It never cures and tracks indoors.
Instead — Two thin coats a day apart.
05Sealing new asphalt
The oils have not cured out.
Instead — Wait six to twelve months.
- 01Measure the drivewayLength times width, and any turnaround.
- 02Walk the cracksAdd up their length; cracks are filled before any sealer.
- 03Look for alligator crackingOver about 30% of the surface, the base has failed and sealing is money wasted.
- 04Count the oil spotsEach is cleaned and primed or the sealer peels off it.
- 05Work out the pailsArea times 2 coats, divided by about 80 sq ft a gallon, divided by 5.
- 06Pick the dayDry, above about 50 °F, no rain for 24 hours.
Alligator cracking, potholes or a sinking driveway need an overlay or a new driveway — tons of asphalt, the base under it and the plant minimum.
When it needs more than sealer- Sealcoat
- A thin asphalt-emulsion or acrylic coating over asphalt that keeps out sun, water and oil and restores the black. Not structural.
- Coal-tar sealer
- An older sealer banned in several states and many cities for the PAHs it sheds.
- Crack filler
- Hot rubberised or cold-pour material routed into cracks before sealing, so the sealer does not split along them.
- Alligator cracking
- A web of connected cracks where the base under the asphalt has failed. Sealing does not fix it.
- Oil-spot primer
- A primer over oil stains so the sealer bonds instead of peeling.
- Penetrating sealer
- A silane or siloxane sealer that soaks into concrete and repels water and salt without a surface film.
- Full-depth patch
- A failed section cut out down to the base and repaved.
Common questions
- How much does it cost to seal a driveway?
- About $250 to have a 60 × 12 ft asphalt driveway sealcoated — most driveways fall under the contractor's minimum of about $250 — and $354 with 40 ft of cracks filled and two oil spots primed. A 100 × 14 ft driveway with more cracks is $556. Yourself, about $176.
- How much does asphalt sealcoating cost per square foot?
- About $0.20 to $0.40 a square foot applied by a contractor, two coats, with a minimum of about $150–$350. Crack filling is extra at about $1.60 a foot.
- How much sealer do I need for my driveway?
- About one gallon per 80 square feet per coat, and two coats: a 60 × 12 ft driveway takes 18 gallons — 4 five-gallon pails.
- How often should a driveway be sealed?
- Asphalt every 3 years or so — 4 times in ten years, about $1,288 by a contractor. Every year builds a thick, brittle skin that cracks and peels off in sheets. A concrete driveway's penetrating sealer lasts about 5 years.
- Is it worth sealing an asphalt driveway?
- On a sound driveway, yes: it slows oxidation, keeps water out of the fine cracks and oil from softening the surface, and it is cheap. On a driveway with widespread alligator cracking or potholes, no — the base has failed, and sealer only hides it for a season.
- Can I seal my driveway myself?
- Yes, for about $202 with the crack filler and a squeegee kit on a 60 × 12 ft driveway. Sweep and hose it, fill the cracks, prime the oil spots, and squeegee two thin coats a day apart. Thick coats never cure properly and track into the house.
- How much does it cost to seal a concrete driveway?
- About $518 for 60 × 12 ft pressure-washed and sealed with a penetrating silane or siloxane sealer, and $148 yourself. It keeps out salt and water and lasts about 5 years.
- Should cracks be filled before sealcoating?
- Always. Sealer bridges a crack for a few weeks and then splits along it. Hot rubberised or cold-pour filler goes in first, about $1.60 a foot by a contractor. Potholes are patched full depth: 20 sq ft adds about $220.
- How long does driveway sealer take to dry?
- A few hours to walk on and 24 to 48 hours before cars, longer in cool or humid weather. Seal on a dry day above about 50 °F with no rain for a day.
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About the author
Pablo Ruiz Quintero — Editor
Editor of MaterialsEstimator. Decides which documents count as a source, what every default value is, and where the line sits between what the reader parses and what the engines compute.
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