About Seal Coating
Asphalt Sealing, or seal coating, is simply laying a thin protective layer over asphalt-based pavement to give it a protective layer of protection against the elements: oil, water, and U.V. The positive effects of asphalt sealing have long been debated. Some claim that asphalt sealing increases the lifespan of the pavement, but again, there’s no evidence that backs up those claims. Asphalt sealing can damage the pavement by creating cracks. The excessive water and oil that can be soaked into the asphalt also weaken its structural integrity. And the chemical fumes emitted during asphalt sealing can also be harmful to humans.
With all of that in mind, it’s not surprising that many business owners, when they set out to perform asphalt sealing, opt to go the non-per square foot route. The costs are much lower, often no more than a few cents per square foot. And the benefits of lower cost and improved performance are well-known. After all, if you want to save money, you want to reduce your operation costs.
But that brings us to our next question: Are asphalt sealing pads a good solution for parking lots, blacktop driveways, or other paved surfaces? As with any typical maintenance procedure, regular maintenance is the best way to reduce the cost of asphalt sealing. Sealing at least annually will help keep dust, pollen, and other pollutants from making their way onto your paved surfaces. It will also help protect your driveway from water damage, as well as mold and algae growth, both of which cause a lot of problems to homeowners.
Now let’s look at how often you should reseal your asphalt surfaces, especially if you’re going to go the non-per square foot route. The key, again, is regular maintenance. And as it turns out, the best time to perform asphalt sealing and resealing are during the cold winter months. There’s even been some recent evidence suggesting that the best time for asphalt sealing and resealing is during the fall when temperatures are quite low.
Why is that? Fall is when most asphalt-based park finishes and protective coatings need to be applied. Asphalt-based park finishes are very weather-resistant, but that doesn’t mean that they’re impervious to the elements. The rainy spring weather can still cause problems, as can heavy snow, ice, and even dew. So, by applying the protective coatings only during the wet winter months, you’ll be doing your park and business no favors, and in the end, your asphalt sealing and resealing efforts will be wasted.
Here’s why: Asphalt seal coats are extremely dense. Think about asphalt sealing and resealing – it’s the same product, just in a different form. And that means that you have to apply a lot less of it to achieve the same degree of protection. That’s why a lot of asphalt maintenance and repair companies (which specialize in asphalt sealing and resealing) will advise you to apply a minimum of three or four gallons of asphalt-based protectant per square foot of paved area. In other words, if you have a parking lot of ten thousand square feet, you’d want to apply three gallons per every twenty-five feet of the paved area.
If you were to apply that kind of service to your asphalt driveway, you could expect to pay anywhere from three to five dollars per square foot. Now consider that the average cost of asphalt sealing and resealing is only about two or three dollars per square foot. Multiply those two by the number of feet of asphalt you’re going to need to cover (per your parking lot, for example), and you quickly come to understand how much asphalt sealing and resealing would cost you. Applying the service yourself would cost you at least a thousand dollars or more. Not very appealing, I’d say.
But, don’t give up just yet – there are other ways to protect your asphalt driveway seal coating and resealing investment, and they won’t cost you nearly as much, so don’t rule them out just yet. One of those ways is called flashings, which are like raised bumps along the edge of your driveway that will serve as an additional traction aid when you drive over it. The average cost of installing these would be about two hundred dollars, with the total installed cost running into the thousands. Another less expensive alternative is a thin film of asphalt seal coating that has a plastic protective layer between it and the ground, as opposed to flashing. It’s about as thick as standard asphalt, which would then have to be applied to your asphalt driveway seal coating and resurfacing project in much the same way.
About O'Fallon, Missouri
O'Fallon ( oh-FAL-ən) is a city in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the St. Louis metropolitan statistical area, located along Interstates 64 and 70 between Lake St. Louis and St. Peters. As of the 2020 census, O'Fallon had a population of 91,316, making it the largest suburb of St. Louis, as well as the largest municipality in St. Charles County and the seventh-largest in Missouri. O'Fallon's namesake in St. Clair County, Illinois, is also part of the St. Louis region. The two cities are one of the few pairs of same-named municipalities to be part of the same metro area.
O'Fallon was founded in 1856 by Nicholas Krekel. The community was named by Krekel's older brother, Judge Arnold Krekel, after John O'Fallon, the president of the North Missouri Railroad. A post office called O'Fallon has been in operation since 1859 with its first postmaster being Nicholas Krekel. The St. Mary's Institute of O'Fallon was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
In 2006, Money magazine named O'Fallon 39th in its "Best 100 Places to Live". The magazine also ranked O'Fallon 68th out of 100 in 2008, 26th out of 100 in 2010, and 42nd out of 100 in 2017.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.20 square miles (75.63 km), of which 29.19 square miles (75.60 km2) are land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km) is covered by water.
O'Fallon has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Summers are hot and humid, while winters are moderately cold.
As of the census of 2010, 79,329 people, 28,234 households, and 21,436 families were residing in the city. The population density was 2,717.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,049.3/km2). The 29,376 housing units averaged 1,006.4 per square mile (388.6/km). The racial makeup of the city was 89.9% White, 4.0% African American, 0.2% Native American, 3.2% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 2.7% of the population.
Of the 28,234 households, 44.7% had children under 18 living with them, 61.6% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 24.1% were not families. About 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.80, and the average family size was 3.23.
The median age in the city was 34.3 years. The age distribution of the city was 30% under 18; 7.1% between 18 and 24; 30.8% from 25 to 44; 23.1% from 45 to 64; and 8.9% at 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.
Mastercard has a major presence in O'Fallon. Venture Stores was headquartered and maintained a distribution center in O'Fallon, until its dissolution. The buildings are now occupied by True Manufacturing. Air Evac Lifeteam, a medical helicopter service for the rural areas of the Ozarks, moved its headquarters to O'Fallon in 2015.
O'Fallon was the home of the River City Rascals independent Frontier League baseball team. The Rascals played at CarShield Field in O'Fallon, which was built in 1999. It is located on Tom Ginnever Boulevard and T.R. Hughes Boulevard near downtown. The organization ceased operations after the 2019 season. The O'Fallon Hoots and the CarShield Collegiate League now play at the stadium.
O'Fallon operates under a charter form of government. The mayor serves four-year terms without term limits and is also the President of the City Council. The 10-member council consists of two members from each of the five wards; the council had 8 members until the fifth ward was created in 2010. City council members served two-year terms until 2010, when they switched to three-year terms. The council elects a President Pro Tempore from among its members, who presides over the council in the mayor's absence.
Bill Hennessy has served as mayor since 2009. The most senior member of the council is Debbie Cook, who was elected to a Ward 5 seat in a 2014 special election and was re-elected in 2016, 2019, and 2022. In January 2022, city councilwoman Katie Gatewood became the first elected official in O'Fallon to be impeached and removed from office. She was accused of impeding the duties of the police chief and lying to the Council about the identity of a whistleblower.
As of January 2023, there is one vacancy on the council: Ward 1 councilman and President Pro Tem Dave Hinman resigned after being elected to the Missouri House of Representatives. Ward 2 councilman Tom Herweck succeeded him as President Pro Tem.
O'Fallon is served mostly by the Fort Zumwalt School District, and the westernmost part is served by the Wentzville R-IV School District. The south to southeastern part of the city is served by the Francis Howell R-III School District. St. Dominic High School is a private Catholic school located in O'Fallon; Christian High School is a nondenominational Christian secondary school also located in O'Fallon. Satellite campuses of Webster University and Lindenwood University are located in O'Fallon.
O'Fallon is served by the St. Charles City-County Library system, which has three branches in the area, two standard (Deer Run and Middendorf-Kredell) and one "express" location (Library Express at Winghaven).
While the City is within the jurisdiction of multiple agencies, fire protection is mostly provided by the O'Fallon Fire Protection District, which in 2007 became the first internationally accredited fire agency in Missouri. The award was made by the Center for Public Safety Excellence's Commission on Fire Accreditation International, which has approved accreditation status for only 120 fire agencies worldwide.
The western portion of the city is served by the Wentzville Fire Protection District.
The eastern portion of the city is served by Central County Fire Rescue.
The southern portion of the city is served by the Cottleville Fire Protection District
The far southwestern portion of the city is served by the New Melle Fire District
An extremely small portion of the city is served by the Lake Saint Louis Fire District