ForConstructionPros.com

As sealcoating contractors begin their season many of them, particularly those accustomed to using refined coal tar sealer, wonder what the season will hold for their favorite product. Already sealer producers are reporting significant price increases, but of greater concern to contractors is the availability of the coal tar sealer.

In the recent past producers have sought to broaden the types of sealer materials available to the market, with asphalt emulsion-based products being the primary alternative. Other products, such as asphalt/coal tar blends, and material containing ceramics are also available, so sealcoating contractors have a variety of options to choose from if the coal tar they prefer becomes scarce.

In response to this uncertainty, many sealer producers are taking the approach outlined by Joe Conwell, vice president of sales for Neyra Industries.

"We're a coatings manufacturer and we will make coatings out of whatever quality materials are out there that we can get," Conwell says. "If the contractors want a coal tar sealer and we can get the raw materials, we'll produce a coal tar sealer. If they want an asphalt-based sealer we'll produce that for them."

But not all sealer producers produce all types of product. Neyra Industries, for example, produces both a coal tar sealer and an asphalt-based sealer but does not produce a blended product. The Brewer Co. produces both coal tar sealer and asphalt-based sealer, but sells the asphalt-based sealer to retailers in 5 gallon pails and coal tar emulsion to contractors in bulk. The Brewer Co. only offers a blended product to contractors if coal tar is hard to come by. Bonsal American produces all three products, as does GemSeal, SealMaster, Star Inc., Surface Coatings Co., and Vance Brothers Asphalt Mfg. & Supply. On the other hand, companies such as Western Colloid, Asphalt Coatings Engineering, Raynguard Protective Materials, and Blacklidge Emulsion all base their pavement sealing products - blends or not - in asphalt-based materials.