Is Thicker Sealer Better?

When it comes to the application of sealer, thicker is not better. Thick coats don’t cure evenly, are prone to tracking and can lead to surface cracks and graying when too much clay is used in production. A thicker coat takes longer to cure, which can lead to degradation and will reduce the life of your sealcoating project.

What makes sealer thick? Heavy sealer viscosity (thickness) can be achieved in several ways that harm the longevity of the sealcoat application. Many tricks are used to cheaply thicken sealer – lowering the PH levels, adding vinegar, modifier use and adding thickening agents can all change the viscosity. One of our competitors uses bentonite, a special clay that swells up and artificially thickens the sealer. The swelling adds viscosity but leaves less room for binder. Binder is the most expensive ingredient and without the proper amount, sealer adhesion and strength will suffer. The use of bentonite clay gives the sealer a higher ash content, meaning the ratio of filler to binder is too high. High ash content gives you a weak sealer, prone to degradation and premature graying. The local manufacturer that uses bentonite clay has an ash content of up to 60%, giving them a thick, weak sealer. GemSeal doesn’t use any of the methods listed above to give the appearance of a thicker product and their ash content is approx. 38%, right where it should be.

Avoid the typical thicker is better thinking —with sealer, thicker is not better. For a quality sealer made the right way visit our yards in Ingleside, Mundelein and Zion, or our website at nacsupply.com