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Once you complete the cleaning process for any sealcoating job you must prep the lot for application. Part of this process – and perhaps the most important – is applying sealer around the edges of the lot – otherwise known as “trim”. This important part of the job should not be overlooked or rushed. The care with which you complete the trim can make or break the look of the job, the difference between being a professional or an amateur.

There are many ways to trim a parking lot. One popular way is to use a spray board or shield connected to the hand wand. This method is fast, but not very neat (ie, overspray, material build up with dripage occuring).

The best and most effective way is to trim by hand with a squeegee or pro-stran brush. Pro-stran brushes are basically a squeegee that’s a brush or very dense broom.

Taking the hand wand, turn your pressure down very slow on your machine and remove the spray tip. Aiming away from where the trim is being applied – typically a curb – to reduce the chances of getting the material on the curb, slowly and carefully allow a bead of material to flow on the ground around 6 to 8” away from where the sealer should stop. Make sure to apply a generous amount of material for sufficient application of trim. Take this the entire length of the job to be done that day.

You should have at least 3 prostran brooms ready for application. They should be between 18” to 36” Wide. The 18” broom or squeegee is for tight trim and the 24” to 36” for wide open trim.

After applying the bead, come back behind with a pro-stran broom spreading the sealer from 8 to 16” away from the curb.  If you see too much material building up, move the material out away from the area you are trimming in and spread it out smooth and evenly. Make sure that you spread all material nice and even and never leave any beaded up material. We also recommend you do the whole days trim at once so the spray part of your job goes smoothly without any stops.

That’s it for now. You will find that if you take your time and follow this technique, your trim will come out looking clean and professional. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call.