Sealcoating
Is sealer sprayed on or squeegeed on?
Both are used, and the difference that matters to you is that a squeegee pushes sealer into the surface while a spray lays it on top.
The numbers
- Squeegee or brush: works material into the open texture, heavier film, slower.
- Spray: even appearance, faster, lighter film, easier on a large open lot.
- Many jobs use both: brush or squeegee at the edges, spray across the middle.
- Neither application repairs anything under it.
What each one is good at
A squeegee or a brush drags the sealer across the surface and works it down into the open stone. On a rough, oxidized drive that is what you want, because the texture is exactly where the water is getting in.
A spray puts down a thinner, more even coat much faster. On a large lot that is the only practical way to cover the ground in a day, and on a smooth surface it gives a cleaner finish.
Why the edges get done by hand
Edges, curb lines, around catch basin frames and along a garage apron all need a clean line, and a spray wand cannot give you one without overspray on the concrete. Those get cut in by hand on any job worth having.
What the finished job looks like either way
A brushed or squeegeed coat shows the direction it was pulled in for the first few weeks, and it evens out as it weathers. A sprayed coat looks uniform from day one. Neither appearance tells you anything about how long the coat holds up.
What does tell you is the edges and the transitions. Clean lines at the garage apron, at the concrete, and around any drain or grate are the visible sign that somebody worked the perimeter by hand rather than running a wand up to it.
What to ask about instead
The application matters less than what is being applied and what was done before it. Ask what the material is, ask whether the cracks are being filled first, and ask how long the surface has to stay empty afterward. Those three change the result far more than the tool does.