Michigan Pavement Preservation Contractors

Sealcoating applies a thin protective coating over asphalt; it restores appearance and shields the surface, and it wears off over a few years. Slurry seal is a mixture of emulsion and aggregate that lays down an actual new wearing surface, so it is thicker, lasts longer, fills minor surface defects, and costs more. Sealcoating is common on parking lots and driveways; slurry seal is common on roads, HOA streets, and larger properties on a preservation cycle.

It is when cure time or traffic level makes it worth it. Microsurfacing cures chemically rather than by evaporation, so it takes traffic in about an hour, tolerates cooler and damper placement conditions, and holds up under heavier loads. It can also fill ruts, which slurry seal cannot. On a low-traffic lot that can close for a day, slurry seal usually does the same job for less.

No. These treatments are thin surface layers with no structural contribution. Cracks should be sealed first or they will reflect through, and potholes and base failures need repair before any treatment is applied. A contractor who proposes slurry seal over a lot with active base failure is proposing something that will look wrong within a season.

It depends on traffic, climate, and the condition of the pavement underneath, so any single number is misleading. In broad terms chip seal and slurry seal fall in a similar range, microsurfacing somewhat longer under heavier traffic, and cape seal longer than either of its components alone. Ask a local contractor what they are seeing on comparable properties nearby, which is better information than a national average.

Yes. All of these treatments cover existing markings completely. Budget for a full restripe, and treat it as part of the same project rather than a separate one — a lot that reopens without markings creates its own problems, and layout should be confirmed before the treatment goes down rather than reconstructed from memory afterwards.