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How to Sealcoat Your Driveway Yourself, Step by Step

By the Driveway Done Right team · 7 min read · Updated November 2026

Sealcoating a driveway is a one-day job for a reasonably handy homeowner, plus a day or two of keeping cars off it. It is not hard, but it is messy, and the results depend almost entirely on prep. Here is how we would do it on our own driveway.

What you'll need

Also: a stiff push broom, a leaf blower or garden hose, a putty knife, painter's tape or cardboard, old clothes, chemical-resistant gloves, and a stir stick or drill paddle.

Step 1: Pick the right day

You want two dry days in a row with temperatures at 50°F or above, and ideally a warm, sunny afternoon. Cool, damp, or humid weather slows curing and can leave the sealer tacky or streaky. Avoid the hottest part of a summer day too; on scorching asphalt the sealer flashes dry before you can spread it. Morning or late afternoon is best.

Step 2: Clean the driveway thoroughly

This is the step most people rush. Sweep everything. Use a crack weeder to pull grass and weeds from cracks and edges, then blow the whole surface clean.

Oil and gas stains: scrub them with a degreaser and rinse. Sealer will not stick to an oily spot and will peel there first. For stubborn stains, use an oil-spot primer before sealing.

If you hose the driveway off, let it dry completely, usually a few hours in the sun.

Step 3: Fill the cracks

Fill every crack wider than about 1/8 inch. For the most durable repair, use a melt-in rope filler: lay it in the crack, press it down, and heat it slowly with a propane torch until it melts and bonds.

Cold-pour fillers work too; just give them the full cure time on the label before you seal over them. Our crack filler guide compares the options.

Step 4: Protect what you don't want black

Tape off or lay cardboard along garage door edges, sidewalks, curbs, and anything painted. Sealer stains concrete permanently. Wear old shoes; you will track it if you're not careful.

Step 5: Stir the sealer well

The sand and solids settle to the bottom of the pail. Stir for a few minutes until it is completely uniform. A paddle on a drill makes this much easier.

Step 6: Cut in the edges

Use a coater brush to paint a strip about a foot wide along the garage, walkways, and edges first. This is where a squeegee can't reach neatly.

Step 7: Spread the first thin coat

Start at the top of the driveway (near the garage) and work toward the street so you never paint yourself in. Pour a ribbon of sealer across the width, then pull it in long, overlapping passes with a squeegee. Aim for thin and even. Thick coats crack and peel.

Step 8: Let it dry, then apply a second coat

Wait until the first coat is dry to the touch, typically 4 to 8 hours depending on the weather. Then apply the second coat, spreading it in the opposite direction from the first. Two thin coats outlast one heavy coat by a wide margin.

Step 9: Keep off it

Block the driveway with cones, trash cans, or tape. Foot traffic can go on in about 24 hours. Cars should wait at least 48 hours, longer in cool weather. Turning the steering wheel while parked on fresh sealer leaves scuff marks that are there all year.

How long it takes and what it costs

For a typical two-car driveway, plan on a morning of cleaning and crack filling, an afternoon of sealing, and a day or two of cure time. Materials usually run a few hundred dollars once you add up sealer, crack filler, and tools, and the tools last for years.

If that sounds like more than you want to take on, read our honest take on when to hire a pro instead.

Related guides: How often should you sealcoat? · Best oil stain removers and primers · Which type of sealer to buy