Why Can’t Sealcoaters Get Paid What They’re Worth?

Everything goes up in price as the years go by - right? Not everything, the average price to sealcoat a 700 sq.ft. driveway has decreased by 45% over the last 20 years. Depending on which side of the coin you’re on, this is either good or very bad news. How can this be? Everything involved in running a sealcoating business has increased since 1992. Here’s a look at a few of the increases:

• Labor costs have increased by 70%
• Sealer price per gallon has increased by 115%
• The price of gasoline has increased by 230%
• Insurance costs have more than doubled

Residential sealcoating contractors are afraid to raise prices, for fear of losing their customers to competitors that don’t raise their price. This is a good assumption, because there’s always someone willing to skimp on the job for less money. Some of these companies don’t have any overhead and in a lot of cases, they don’t even have a company. Good luck finding them if something goes wrong - once they’re paid, they’re gone. You usually get the job you pay for; if you go with the lowest price, you’ll probably get the most diluted material. Sealer is water based; the more water you add to it, the less it costs the contractor per gallon.

The price to sealcoat a driveway has to go up. When the contractor that you have been happy with for the last 10 years raises his price, understand that this increase is necessary for them to do an honest job. Customer loyalty seems to be dwindling; let’s get back to rewarding honest contractors, your driveway will notice the difference.