# Driveway coatings, useful or not?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driveway-coatings-useful-or-not/329511>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 4, 2005, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driveway-coatings-useful-or-not/329511 "2005-11-04T18:08:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driveway-coatings-useful-or-not/329511/1 "2005-11-04T18:08:04Z")

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I know that UK folks use “pavement” to describe what we Yanks call a sidewalk, and the ancient joke says “Macadam” was the first scotsman, so I’ll have to be unduly specific. OK?

I was walking my little bitty dog today, and I saw a contractor covering a driveway (made of asphalt and wee little rocks) with a black substance. I’ve even seen it used on concrete (Portland cement and Roxanne Sand) driveways.

Does this goop do any good, besides making the contractor’s boat payments? :dubious:

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**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driveway-coatings-useful-or-not/329511/2 "2005-11-04T22:01:41Z")

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It protects your driveway, to some degree, from water damage. It also looks nice. In my dad’s community, you HAVE to do it. They come by and look at your driveway and if it looks gray and in need of a coat of sealcoat, they send you a notice. It is your responsibility to pay for it and you get fined if you don’t do it.