Every spring, hardware stores stack pallets of driveway sealer at their entrances, making the DIY route look simple and affordable. The reality is more nuanced. Sometimes DIY makes perfect sense. Other times, it's a half-day of hard work that produces a result lasting half as long as professional work would. Here's the honest breakdown.
Cost Comparison: DIY vs. Professional
Let's start with the numbers, because that's what most people want to know first.
| Item | DIY Cost | Professional Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Sealer (2-car driveway) | $50–$100 | Included |
| Crack filler | $20–$40 | Included |
| Squeegee/application tools | $20–$30 | Included |
| Degreaser/cleaning supplies | $15–$30 | Included |
| Total material cost | $105–$200 | — |
| Labour | 4–6 hours (your time) | Included |
| Total cost | $105–$200 + your time | $200–$500 |
On the surface, DIY looks like a clear winner financially. But this comparison doesn't account for two critical factors: the quality of the product used and the expected lifespan of the result. When you factor in that professional work typically lasts 2–3x longer, the per-year cost of professional sealing often comes out lower than DIY.
Pro Tip: DIY sealing every 2 years at $150 per application = $75/year. Professional sealing every 5 years at $350 per application = $70/year. The math often favors professional sealing once you account for longevity — before even considering your time.
The Quality Difference: Products Matter
This is the factor most homeowners don't know about: the products available to professional contractors are fundamentally different from what you can buy at a hardware store. It's not just branding — it's chemistry.
Consumer-Grade Sealers
Hardware store sealers are typically water-based acrylic or latex formulas with a solids content of 15–25%. They're designed to be user-friendly — easy to pour, spread, and clean up — but that accessibility comes at a cost in durability. They form a surface film rather than deeply penetrating and bonding with the asphalt.
Commercial-Grade Sealers
The sealers used by professional contractors are sold in bulk through trade suppliers and are not available to consumers. These products typically contain 30–40% solids, use coal tar emulsion or refined tar formulas, and are specifically engineered for commercial durability. The higher solid content means more protective material remains after curing, and the formulas are optimized for long-term performance under Ontario's freeze-thaw conditions.
Some professional contractors also have access to polymer-modified sealers that contain added resins for increased flexibility and crack resistance — especially valuable in Ontario where temperature extremes cause constant expansion and contraction of the asphalt.
Surface Preparation: The 80% Factor
If you take one thing away from this article, let it be this: surface preparation is approximately 80% of a driveway sealing job. The sealer itself is almost secondary. A mediocre sealer applied over a properly prepared surface will outlast a premium sealer applied over a dirty, oily, or wet surface by years.
What Proper Prep Involves
- Thorough cleaning: Every inch of the surface must be cleaned of dirt, dust, vegetation (especially in cracks), and debris. This typically involves a pressure washer run over the entire surface, not just a broom sweep.
- Degreasing: Any oil or fuel stains must be treated with a commercial degreaser and scrubbed before sealer is applied. Oil-contaminated areas will reject sealer adhesion entirely, causing bubbling and delamination.
- Crack filling: Every crack must be cleaned out and filled with an appropriate crack filler, allowed to cure, and leveled with the surrounding surface before sealing begins.
- Edge trimming: Vegetation and grass at the edges of the driveway must be trimmed back so sealer can be applied to the full width of the surface without obstacles.
- Complete drying: After cleaning, the surface must dry for at least 24 hours before sealer is applied.
Professional contractors bring pressure washing equipment, commercial degreasers, crack filling tools, and the experience to identify problem areas that a DIY homeowner might miss. The prep stage alone can take 2–3 hours for an average driveway before a single drop of sealer is applied.
"When we assess a failed DIY sealing job, the cause is almost always insufficient prep — particularly oil stains that weren't treated. The homeowner spent money on good sealer but skipped the degreasing step, and now the sealer is bubbling up within 6 months."
— David, D&D Home Services Co-Founder
Application Methods: Squeegee vs. Spray
How the sealer is applied matters as much as what product is used and how the surface was prepared.
Squeegee Application (Professional Standard)
The squeegee method pushes sealer into the asphalt pores under light pressure, maximizing surface contact and bonding. A long-handled commercial squeegee allows a professional to work in consistent passes, maintaining uniform thickness and ensuring full coverage in crevices and texture variations. This method produces a more durable, better-bonded coat than spray application.
Spray Application
Spray application is faster and works well for large, flat, smooth surfaces. The risk is over-application — sealer builds up in low spots and remains too thick in areas, leading to cracking and peeling. Spray application also doesn't force sealer into surface pores the way a squeegee does. Some contractors combine spray application with squeegee work on edges and problem areas.
Brush and Roller (DIY Method)
Many DIYers apply sealer with a wide brush or roller. This works for small areas and edges, but is extremely labor-intensive for a full driveway and tends to produce an uneven finish. The biggest issue is maintaining consistent thickness — too thin in some areas, too thick in others.
Time Investment: What DIY Actually Costs in Hours
Be honest with yourself about the time involved. For an average two-car asphalt driveway (approximately 50 square metres), the realistic time breakdown looks like this:
- Surface prep (sweeping, degreasing, crack filling): 2–3 hours
- Drying time after cleaning: 24 hours (not active time, but keeps you off the driveway)
- Sealer application (first coat): 1–2 hours
- Drying time between coats: 4–8 hours
- Second coat application: 1–1.5 hours
- Cleanup: 30–60 minutes
Total: roughly a full weekend of active work plus waiting. For a professional crew, the same job typically takes 3–5 hours of total site time including prep, and you don't need to be involved at all.
Common DIY Mistakes That Shorten Sealer Life
Even motivated, careful DIYers make these errors. Knowing them in advance can help you avoid them if you do choose the DIY route.
- Applying too thick: More is not better. Thick coats don't penetrate — they sit on the surface and crack. Two thin coats always outperform one thick coat.
- Not treating oil stains: Pouring sealer over an oil stain is one of the most common reasons for premature failure. The stain must be degreased and treated before any sealer goes down.
- Sealing in cold or wet conditions: Ontario has unpredictable springs. A job started at 12°C with clouds rolling in is a recipe for failure.
- Skipping crack filling: Sealer is not crack filler. It doesn't bridge cracks — it flows into them and provides no structural support. Unsealed cracks become water channels that undermine the entire sealing job.
- Allowing vehicle traffic too soon: Even if the surface looks dry, driving on fresh sealer within 24 hours leaves permanent tire marks and damages the film before it fully hardens.
When Professional Sealing Is Worth Every Dollar
There are scenarios where professional sealing is clearly the right choice, regardless of whether you're comfortable doing home maintenance.
- Driveways larger than 60 square metres: Large driveways are exhausting and time-consuming to do properly by hand. Professionals with commercial equipment can do them faster, more consistently, and with better results.
- Driveways with oil stains or significant cracking: These require commercial degreasing products and experience to prep correctly. DIY degreasing rarely removes oil as thoroughly as professional treatment.
- Newer driveways (1–5 years old): The first few sealing applications on a newer driveway set the foundation for its long-term health. Getting these right with a professional sets you up for years of protection.
- If you value your weekend time: When your hourly value at work exceeds what you'd save by DIYing, hire it out. The math is simple.
- When the driveway is in questionable condition: A professional will identify areas that need patching or crack filling before they become expensive structural failures. That assessment alone can save you thousands.
Key Takeaways
- ✓ DIY costs $105–$200 in materials plus 4–6 hours of your time; professional costs $200–$500 but lasts 2–3x longer.
- ✓ Professional-grade sealers have 30–40% solids vs. consumer products at 15–25% — not available in hardware stores.
- ✓ Surface preparation is 80% of the job — degreasing, crack filling, and cleaning matter more than which sealer brand you use.
- ✓ Squeegee application bonds sealer to asphalt pores more effectively than spray or roller.
- ✓ Common DIY failures: applying too thick, skipping oil stain treatment, and driving on too soon.
- ✓ Large driveways and those with existing damage are the clearest cases for professional service.
If you're in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, or Guelph and want the job done right, D&D Home Services provides professional driveway sealing with commercial-grade products and thorough surface preparation included in every job. Get a free, no-obligation quote today.
