Advice for Driveway project gone bad

[Eric@CherryOnTop]

I hired a local company to sealcoat my driveway. He came out and took a look at it and gave me an estimate a few weeks ago, set up the appointment for last week on Tuesday while I was out of town. My driveway is not in the best shape and I know that, but he told me he could clean it up, cover the oil stains and I should get about a year out of the sealcoat job. Fine for me, we plan on selling the house anyway.

I came home from vacation (5 days after the job was done) and the tape is still across the driveway so nothing has touched it. It looked pretty good initially. I went out the next day and was doing some stuff and noticed that there are big flakes of sealcoat coming up off the driveway. I actually looks like rusty paint that's peeling away from a car panel. I still haven't paid the guy for the job yet cos I was planning on giving him cash when I came home. So I spoke to him and told him what's up. He said, yeah, the driveway was dirtier than I thought, those spots must be where there is leftover dirt. He said he would come back and take a look at it.

My question is, I have no intention of paying this guy if this is the kind of work I got. If I pay him and then more sealcoat starts peeling up I'm pretty much SOL. Would you guys not pay, make him do the whole thing over again after prepping it better, or pay with a credit card so you at least have a little protection? I've never run into this issue before, probably because I hate paying people to do work for me for this very reason.

[custmsprty]

I wouldn't pay him. Take pictures and document it in case it ends up in court.

[PaulMys]

Yeah, I wouldn't pay him at all.

"Dirtier than he thought"??

Isn't part of the job pressure washing the dirt OFF before sealing? Wow.

[Jaretr1]

We used to have an asphalt driveway. Once every year or so random people with tar coatings would come buy and offer to spray it down for $75-$100 or whatever. I swear half the time they were spraying black water as a month later it looked like nothing was done. It was never the same people.

Now I have a concrete driveway that I sealed myself. Still looks good, and during the first month or so of the sealant, it actually beads water. I love that

[wing commander]

If you can live with paying for the bad job have him fix it and make clear that you will wait for a week again to see how it holds up. Tell him you will happily pay if it does not peel or wash off again. The job should at least not peel again. If he does not agree pay half with a check and have him sign that he is paid in full for a unsatisfactory job.

[TTQ B4U]

I doubt he'll ask for payment even. Regardless, no, I wouldn't pay.

Beyond that, I feel for you as there's nothing you can do except entirely scrape off the coating and start over. IMO ditch the blacktop and invest in concrete. We paid about $5sq. ft. for our concrete drive and I never looked back. Seal it for the first couple years and enjoy it. Our blacktop lasted about 20yrs before it started to peel. I'll never go back.

[Eldorado2k]

Pictures?

[Eric@CherryOnTop]

More of these spots have been popping up as I drive over the pavement. I guess my question is, will it keep occurring and if it's redone will it start again? Also, legally, if I refuse to pay him can he do anything to me? We had a verbal agreement about the job and the price, there is nothing on paper and I never signed anything.


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[GSKR]

I hired a local company to sealcoat my driveway. He came out and took a look at it and gave me an estimate a few weeks ago, set up the appointment for last week on Tuesday while I was out of town. My driveway is not in the best shape and I know that, but he told me he could clean it up, cover the oil stains and I should get about a year out of the sealcoat job. Fine for me, we plan on selling the house anyway.

I came home from vacation (5 days after the job was done) and the tape is still across the driveway so nothing has touched it. It looked pretty good initially. I went out the next day and was doing some stuff and noticed that there are big flakes of sealcoat coming up off the driveway. I actually looks like rusty paint that's peeling away from a car panel. I still haven't paid the guy for the job yet cos I was planning on giving him cash when I came home. So I spoke to him and told him what's up. He said, yeah, the driveway was dirtier than I thought, those spots must be where there is leftover dirt. He said he would come back and take a look at it.

My question is, I have no intention of paying this guy if this is the kind of work I got. If I pay him and then more sealcoat starts peeling up I'm pretty much SOL. Would you guys not pay, make him do the whole thing over again after prepping it better, or pay with a credit card so you at least have a little protection? I've never run into this issue before, probably because I hate paying people to do work for me for this very reason.

Been through that same problem.Here is the deal if you have to go to court. Take a video of day one flaw.Don't pay him cash.Take video month after month and have in writing 1 year warranty.Without video you will only get half of your money back.I took a guy to court for 4800 without the video I was granted half.Due dillenge on this company.Im sure you did .

[Audios S6]

Looks like dirt under the areas that have peeled. So I would say it's lack of adhesion due to not cleaning, or if the asphalt is gone in those areas, you were not a good candidate for seal coat in the first place