ForConstructionPros.com

Mineral aggregates have become almost standard in the sealcoating industry as contractors teach their customers the benefits of adding aggregate. Most, if not all, sealer manufacturers recommend using aggregate in their sealer, and despite differences among types of materials, suppliers of silica sand, boiler slag, and slate do agree on the reasons contractors and property owners should insist on aggregate in the sealer.

One general benefit of using mineral aggregates is they make the finished job look better. Using mineral aggregates not only provides the surface with a uniform texture, making it look good to your customers, aggregates also help reduce streaks and sun glare from the black surface, hide minor surface defects, and fill hairline cracks.

And there are some more concrete benefits as well.

Sealcoating and skid resistance

One of property managers' main pavement-related concerns is slip-and-fall liability lawsuits, and theory and common sense say using aggregate in sealer helps protect against such lawsuits.

"A sealer without sand in it might reduce skid resistance," says Mark Smith, Vance Brothers. "By adding sand to it you are putting back some of the skid resistance to the pavement."

This has been a generally accepted fact within the industry, but there is no empirical data to prove it. So the Pavement Coatings Technology Center (PCTC) is sponsoring tests to determine how much of a benefit mineral aggregate is to skid resistance.