The two jobs share a word and little else. This comparison covers what each coating is for, how the preparation differs and why the honest answer to which lasts longer is that they wear out in different ways.
In This Article
Two jobs with one name
Asphalt sealcoat is a thin, dark, opaque film. It slows the drying and greying of the binder that holds the pavement together, keeps water and some fuel out and refreshes the colour.
Interlock sealer is usually clear or lightly tinted. It sits on or in the top of the paver and the joint sand, and depending on the product it can deepen the colour, resist stains, firm up the joints or reduce weeds. It rarely looks like a coating at all when it is done well.
Because the goals differ, the products, the preparation and the way each one fails are different too.
Side by side
| Topic | Asphalt sealcoat | Interlock sealer |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Protect the binder and renew the colour | Enhance colour, resist stains and firm the joint sand |
| Appearance | Opaque black or charcoal | Clear or tinted, from natural to wet look |
| The surface | One continuous mat that cracks | Many units, joints and a bedding layer that can shift |
| Preparation | Clean, fill cracks, treat oil, edge | Clean deeply, refill joints, reset uneven pavers, dry through |
| New surface | Wait as the paving contractor advises | Wait as the installer and paver maker advise |
| Wears first | Wheel tracks, the apron and the turning area | Wheel tracks, and wherever water or joint sand moves |
| Cannot fix | Cracks, base failure, sunken areas | Heaved or sunken pavers, empty joints from poor sand |
| Signs it is time | Grey tone, rough feel, water soaking in | Dull colour, stains soaking in, joints loosening |
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So which one lasts longer?
Nobody can honestly give a single number, and each answer depends on the product and the job. Asphalt sealcoat is meant to wear away and be renewed. Interlock sealer lasts as long as the job you gave it: colour enhancement can fade well before joint stabilizing stops working, for example.
Three points apply to both. The surface underneath will outlast either coating, so the coating is a maintenance layer rather than a lifespan. Wheel tracks wear first. And weather during application, plus the preparation before it, sets the result far more than the calendar does. Read the label, not the brochure, for the maker's own expectations.
Ontario adds pressure to both surfaces. Freeze-thaw cycles work water into cracks and joints, and winter salt and grit scour the top layer.
How each one fails, and what you are looking at
Knowing the failure pattern helps you decide what is wrong before you spend money.
Worn asphalt sealcoat looks grey and dry. The surface feels rough, stones begin to stand proud and water soaks in instead of beading. A film that was put on too thick shows as flaking or a dried-mud pattern of fine cracks, and a film applied over damp or dirty pavement peels in patches.
Worn interlock sealer tends to look dull. Milky or cloudy patches can appear where moisture was trapped beneath a film-forming product. A glossy coat can turn slippery when wet, and the film may flake in the wheel tracks. Empty joints and sprouting weeds are usually a sand problem, and sealer that skipped the joints will not stop them.
If your symptoms match neither list, the trouble may sit below the surface. That is a repair question, not a coating question.
Choose asphalt sealing or interlock sealing if
- Choose asphalt sealing if your driveway is asphalt, the surface is sound and cracks can be filled first. The coat protects a material that does dry out and grey.
- Choose interlock sealing if you want richer colour, easier cleaning or firmer joints, the pavers are level and old enough to be sealed and you accept re-treating it over time.
- Skip either one if the real problem is structural: a spongy asphalt base, or interlock that has settled, heaved or lost its bedding. Repairs come first, and a coating over them only hides the trouble.
Never use one product on the other surface. Read asphalt versus concrete sealer for why the chemistry does not swap.
Getting a quote for either surface
Tell any contractor exactly what your driveway is made of, roughly how big it is and what condition it is in. D&D Home Services offers asphalt driveway sealing and interlock and paver sealing, with free quotes that are confirmed in writing before work begins. For interlock, ask how the pavers will be cleaned, whether the joints will be refilled and how many coats of which sealer are planned.
If you have an interlock driveway and want to understand cleaning first, how to clean interlock paving explains the safe methods.
Key Takeaways
- Asphalt sealcoat is an opaque protective film, and interlock sealer is usually clear and does jobs such as colour, stain resistance and joint firming.
- Neither coating has a single lifespan: each wears first in the wheel tracks, and preparation and weather set the result.
- Structural problems such as cracks, spongy asphalt, heaved pavers or empty joints must be repaired before either coating.
- Never use asphalt sealer on pavers or interlock sealer on asphalt, and tell any contractor what your surface is made of.
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