Sealcoating in Black River Falls

Sealcoating in Black River Falls, Wisconsin.

Parking lot sealcoating for commercial properties in Black River Falls. Cracks filled hot first, edges cut in by hand, two coats where the traffic needs two, and the cure time in writing.

Get a Free Estimate Call (715) 450-9897

4.7 from 21 Google reviews

About 50 minutes southeast of Eau Claire on I-94. The estimate is free.

A large institutional parking lot freshly sealcoated in uniform black, still wet-looking, running up to the building and out to the grass edge.

4.7 Google ratingFrom 21 reviews

2-3 yrs Reseal cycleNorthwestern Wisconsin

400°F Crack fillerDirect-fire rubber

0 Coal tarAsphalt emulsion only

Working in Black River Falls

The lots worth sealing here are the industrial park's off Highway 54, the hospital's on West Adams, the hotel lots at the Exit 116 interchange and the casino property east of the interstate. Sealer is a wear layer over the top of the asphalt, so it buys you the surface and nothing underneath it, and a lot that's already coming apart gets the repair first and the sealer after. A lot that size gets measured rather than eyeballed, and the number is fixed before anything starts.

From our jobs

Job Photos

Freshly sealed and striped school parking lot — A school lot, sealed and striped

A freshly sealcoated driveway winding up to a house in evening light — A sealed driveway, winding up to the house

A freshly sealcoated driveway running through the woods, caution tape across the entrance — A long wooded driveway, sealed and taped off

A crew member spraying sealcoat from the black tank rig — Sealer going down from the tank rig

All job photos

What makes a seal job last

Sealer doesn't stick to dirt. It doesn't stick to oil, it doesn't bridge an open crack, and it doesn't cure in the cold. Almost every failed driveway in this valley failed for one of those four reasons, and all four happen before the sealer ever comes off the truck. Which is why the part of this job that matters is the part that happens before anything looks different.

The cheap job

What a low bid usually buys

Blown off, maybe, and sealed straight over whatever is left
Cracks sprayed across rather than filled, so water still gets under
Sealer thinned with water to stretch the drum further
One thin coat, sprayed to the edges, apron included
Looks excellent for about six weeks

What we do

And why each step is there

Blown clean and edged, and oil spots primed so sealer can bond
Cracks over a quarter inch filled with hot rubber first
Sealer mixed to the manufacturer's spec, with the sand it calls for
Edges and aprons cut in by hand, two coats where traffic warrants
Left to cure properly, with the drive-on time in writing

The difference doesn't show that day. It shows in the second spring.

Does yours actually need sealing?

How we read a surface before quoting it

Some surfaces that look bad are fine, and some that look fine are not.

It has gone gray and chalky but it's smoothTextbook case. That's the wear layer gone and exactly what sealer replaces. Repairable
Thin cracks running with the drive, under a quarter inchSeal them now and they stay cheap. Left open, water gets under and freezes. Repairable
It was paved last year and still looks blackNew asphalt needs to cure before its first seal, usually 6 to 12 months. Too early is a real thing and we would rather book you for next season. Depends, send a photo
Cracked into squares, like dried mud, and it flexes underfootThat's the base failing, not the surface. Sealing it hides the problem for one season and wastes your money. Those areas get cut out and patched. Needs replacement
Potholes, or a low spot that holds water after rainRepair first, seal after. Standing water is usually a grade or a drainage problem and it'll take the new sealer with it. Needs replacement
Loose stone comes up when you scuff it with your shoeRaveling. Early on, sealer locks it back down. Advanced, it needs an overlay. This is the one worth having us look at rather than guessing. Depends, send a photo

Not sure which one you have? Send a photo of the worst area.

What Decides the Price in Black River Falls

Residential sealcoating runs about $0.15 to $0.25 per square foot, the rate Black Widow has published for years. Everything else is measured rather than guessed at, and your number is fixed before work starts.

Small commercial lot

Roughly 8,000 to 20,000 sq ft

Measured on site

Church, clinic, small retail
Crack sealing usually included

Larger lot

20,000 sq ft and up

Measured on site

Quoted after a walk
Striping and patching priced separately

What moves it: how much crack filling it needs, whether there are areas that have to be cut out and patched first, how much hand cutting the edges take, and access. Anything we find that changes the number gets said before we start, not after.

How the Work Goes in Black River Falls

The same six steps on a driveway and on a 40,000 square foot lot.

We look at it and price it

Free, and on site for anything commercial. If the surface has gone past what sealer can help, we say so then rather than taking the job.

Clean and prep

Blown down, edges trimmed back where grass has crept in, oil and fuel spots primed. Sealer won't bond to any of those, and skipping this is the single most common reason a job fails early.

Crack filling, hot

Anything over about a quarter inch gets direct-fire rubber at 400 degrees, which flows into the crack and bonds to its walls. Cold pourable filler sits on top and pulls away by the second winter.

Cut in by hand

Edges, garage aprons, around drains and islands. Hand work, because a spray wand at the edge either misses it or covers your concrete.

Sealcoat, twice on high-wear areas

Turnarounds, entrances and drive lanes wear faster than the rest and get two. The rest of the lot gets one, because a second coat there adds no life.

Cure time, in writing

Usually 24 hours before a car and 48 before anything heavy or before turning the wheels while stopped. It depends on the temperature and humidity that afternoon, so we'll give you the real number that day.

Booking the last of the sealcoating season now · Call (715) 450-9897

Questions We Get in Black River Falls

What Black River Falls calls us about, answered straight.

More questions answered

How far southeast will you come for a lot?

Black River Falls is about 51 miles down I-94 from Eau Claire, right around 50 minutes, and for commercial lots we come. Send the address and what the lot needs and we'll set up a time to walk it. The estimate is free.

Can a hotel or a casino lot get sealed without closing the property?

Sealed asphalt needs 24 to 48 hours before traffic goes back on it, and that is the fact everything else works around. Tell us which entrances and which hours you can't lose, because where that time comes from is part of what the estimate has to work out.

Can the crack filling, the sealing and the striping be quoted together?

Yes, and they go in that order: cracks filled, sealer down, striping once the sealer has cured. The quantities for each are written out separately, so you can see what each part of it comes to and drop any of it.

How late in the year can you seal?

Roughly May through early October in Black River Falls and the surrounding area, and it depends more on overnight lows than on the daytime high. Sealer needs warm pavement and a dry cure, so late-season jobs depend on the weather holding.

Do you use coal tar?

No. Coal tar sealer is perfectly legal in Eau Claire and a good deal of this region still uses it, which is exactly why it's worth asking. We run an asphalt emulsion instead, Pitch Black, by choice. The reason is the science rather than the rulebook. The US Geological Survey sampled streams around Milwaukee and traced somewhere between 42 and 94 percent of the PAHs in the sediment back to coal tar sealant dust. Minnesota banned the stuff statewide in 2014. We would rather not put it on a driveway that drains toward the Chippewa.

Can you seal a lot without closing it?

Sealed asphalt needs 24 to 48 hours before traffic goes back on it. On a lot that can't close, where that time comes from is part of what the estimate works out, so tell us which hours and which areas you can't lose.

The Lots and Surfaces in Black River Falls

Black River Falls is the seat of Jackson County, a city of about 3,600 sitting on Exits 115 and 116 of I-94, roughly 51 road miles southeast of Eau Claire. Highway 54 runs east from the interstate past the industrial park and the casino property, and that stretch carries most of the newer commercial surface in town. The Ho-Chunk Nation has its headquarters here.

The Black River Falls Industrial Park sits against Highway 54 and I-94, more than 100 acres with water, sewer and rail, and the city counts more than 15 businesses in it. Land O' Lakes, Nelson Global, Meisters Forest Products, Regal Beloit and Antler King are on the city's tenant list. The state has 75.89 contiguous acres in the park certified as buildable, industrially zoned and rail served, with no wetlands and nothing in a floodplain.

The other large surfaces are the casino property on Highway 54 east, where the Ho-Chunk Nation's expansion added hotel rooms, a rebuilt bingo hall, new roadways, a high-capacity loading dock and more parking, and Black River Memorial Hospital on West Adams Street, which runs with the Krohn Clinic as Black River Health. Three hotels sit at the Exit 116 interchange, and the retail the city lists off the interstate includes Black River Plaza, a Kwik Trip, an Arby's, an O'Reilly, a Theisen's and a Chrysler dealer. Jackson County, the school district and the hospital are named among the largest employers in town.

Where we work in Black River Falls

Black River Falls Industrial Park
Highway 54 east
The Exit 116 interchange
Downtown

Around Black River Falls: Ho-Chunk Gaming Black River Falls on Highway 54, Black River Memorial Hospital on West Adams Street, Black River State Forest, Lake Arbutus, The old Union High School building.

3,563 people, 2024 Census estimate.

Jackson County is listed with Wisconsin's Central Plain, a flat sandy stretch at 700 to 800 feet, part of which was the bed of Glacial Lake Wisconsin.

Other Work We Do in Black River Falls

Sealcoating in Nearby Towns

Everything about sealcoating, including how the work goes and what changes the price