Chipseal Surfacing

Not without preperation work. For chipseal to be constructed fresh metal (Stones) must be laid and compacted. This is for a few reasons: - Unsealed roads loose their smaller stones and dust with water runoff and as a result the road only retains its larger stones. These larger stones without little ones to hold them in place start to act like marbles this is especially evident on sloped driveways. When cars slip on these stones they push them down the hill; further deteriating the driveway. - Most metal driveways are constructed out of poor strength aggregate, as we want the road way to last the next 100 years we cannot have soft stones breaking down under traffic. Especially not under your brand new road surface.

You can drive on a chipseal surface immediately after constructon. It is recomended to get any work you need done involving heavy trucks using your driveway before constructing your new surface. This helps ensure you get the best life out of the surface.

Yes there will, Generally these loose stones will be swept off with traffic and weather. These can be easily swept off in 6 months time at your request. Generally we recomend leaving the chipseal for this 6 months to allow the chipseal to properly bed in and set.

Emulsion is the modern road surfacing product of choice. Producing roads with it requires 45% less greenhouse gas emissions vs it's counterpart hot cutback bitumen. It also doesn't have any nasty additives, making it safer for our atmosphere and our team. As it is water based it doesn't need to be sprayed at 180 Degrees and can be sprayed at a much safer 80-90 Degrees. Emulsion is the only product allowed to be sprayed to glue down our motorways and is also the minimum requirement for lots of council roads. NZTA has also announced it is progressing to Emulsion in all contracts after 2025. Why? Well there is numerous benefits aside from safety and the environment. - Because emulsion is water based, it is able to penetrate into a roads surface and through dust. Stones are also permeable and allow Emulsion to infiltrate them allowing the product to adhere significantly better to both the road and the aggregate. - Emulsion doesn't require the addition of Kerosene to help it stick in colder climates. If you have seen roads suddenly turn black and sticky in the first summer you have seen the effects Kerosene can have on roads as it vaporizes into our atmosphere. - Emulsion also doesn't require additives or "wetting agents" these agents evaporate into the atmosphere in the first period of the seals life and are designed to help the oil component of bitumen become sticky which if forgotten can lead to the stone falling off in the first few years of the chip seals life. - Emulsion has a long period of time it can sit waiting for the chip to be applied and is not affected by temperatures the same as cutback bitumen. Cutback bitumen needs chip to be applied immediately before it gets too cold and is very susceptible to cold ground and air temperatures making sealing in winter impossible in some areas of New Zealand.

If your driveway is a First Coat (Chipseal on metal) generally 1 to 4 years before requiring a second chipseal. For roads this is generally shortened to 6 - 24 Months depending on traffic volume and type. For reseals (chipseal on chipseal), this can be from 8 years on busy and high stress roads (steep roads) to 30 years on quiet flat driveways with minimal traffic and water flow. Other factors that effect the life can be, shading wet and damp chipseals can be destroyed by plant / mold growth, Number of previous potholes; these areas being first coat chipseals will have significantly shorter lifespans than the rest of the surface.