EXPERT ADVICE
accomplish. Seek and follow our sealcoat-
ing supplier’s recommendations.
Although a majority of latex additives;
• Produce thickening i.e. build the vis-
cosity of the sealer thinned after the ad-
dition of water (sometimes excessive).
• Suspend sand and other aggregate.
• Speed up drying of the sealcoating. The
mechanism is explained in the following
section.
• Produce uniform dry color possibly
through uniform loss of water from the
sealcoating film as noted above,
Latex additives, however, differ in their
ability to;
• Reinforce the properties like cold tem-
perature flexibility, toughness, tack re-
duction at higher temperatures etc.
• Improve the resistance of the sealcoat-
ing to chemicals, oils, fats, grease, aro-
matic fuels, de-icing salts etc.
Remember that the type of the polymer
used is the backbone of the additive and it
makes all the difference in the overall per-
formance of the sealcoating.
A quick side bar will be helpful in ex-
plaining some of the performance aspects
of additives. During the drying process
water evaporates and creates sufficient tur-
bulence in the sealer film which helps the
binder (refined tar, asphalt or resin) and
the polymer to fuse together. This process
which is greatly influenced by the drying
conditions, produces sealcoating films
with a well-formed network of polymers
throughout the sealer matrix. Once the
polymer becomes a part of the binder sys-
tem in the sealer, its contribution to over-
all performance will depend directly on
its own ability to withstand the elements
of weather and chemical attack. Under-
standably, any weakness in the polymer
structure itself will likely manifest as poor
performance and premature breakdown of
the sealcoating.
TYPES OF LATEX POLYMERIC/ RUBBER USED
IN ADDITIVES
1. Acrylonitrile/ Butadiene (NBR) Poly-
mer based additives are most frequently
used for rubberizing both refined tar, as-
phalt, and other resin based sealcoatings.
They have excellent resistance to most
chemicals, oils, fat, greases, hydraulic flu-
ids, kerosene, etc. These are highly desir-
able properties for their use in sealcoatings
and such polymers enhance the properties
of the sealcoatings in the real sense.
2. Acrylic polymers and copolymer-based
additives are frequently used for thicken-
ing, sand/aggregate suspension and faster
drying. Acrylics are generally resistant to
ultraviolet radiation, oils, fats, lubricants,
and hydrocarbon solvents. Properly for-
mulated acrylic additives are capable of de-
livering all the desired performance prop-
erties.
MACRO-FLEX
THE
WORKHORSE
OF THE
SEALCOATING
INDUSTRY
IMPROVES
• Toughness & Durability
• Sealer Flexibility
• Checmical Resistance
• Color Uniformity
Our additives will perform to the standards
you have come to expect and trust
from STAR ® branded products!
www.StarSeal.com
800-759-1912
Download the
sealcoating contractors
resource app
INCREASES
Sand
Suspension
Time
REDUCES
Drying
Time
TO ORDER
STAR Macro-Flex
visit
starseal.com/macro-flex
For More Information On This Advertiser Please Visit www.CallAPE.com/e-inquiry
www.callape.com
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1.800.210.5923