Sealcoating is a process which is commonly used to prolong the life of asphalt surfaces, and it’s so effective that in some cases it can extend the life of an asphalt surface by 20 years or more. That might sound like an astounding claim, but there’s a pretty logical reason for it, and it’s not at all surprising. One of the components of asphalt is a binding agent which keeps all the stone and tar bound together in a solid mixture, and if this binding agent is exposed to the elements of weather, salt, chemicals, or ultraviolet rays, it can easily become degraded.
Once this binding agent begins to deteriorate, it becomes very easy for all the other components to fall apart, and that means the asphalt will begin to crumble. However, all you have to do to prevent this is to regularly apply a sealcoating over the asphalt surface, and your pavement will stay protected. Since the sealcoating prevents all those nasty elements from penetrating to the asphalt interior and degrading the binding agent, your asphalt surface will remain intact, and relatively immune to the effects of nature and chemicals.