Chip seal,
the country road finish.

A chip seal is a shot of hot asphalt emulsion covered right away with crushed stone, then rolled in so the rock locks into the binder. The result is a surface that sheds water, handles traffic, and looks clean. It is not as slick as hot mix, but for a quarter mile drive up to a barn, it is a great fit for the money.

Arkansas has miles of this kind of surface on county and township roads for a reason. It holds up to freeze thaw when done right, it is easy to refresh with another shot down the road, and it cuts the price versus a full asphalt build by a significant margin on longer runs.

How the job runs

• Walk the site, check the existing surface, mark width and length.
• Shape and compact the base, add stone to weak areas.
• Sweep and clean the surface the day of the shot.
• Spray a uniform shot of heated asphalt emulsion at the spec rate.
• Spread crushed chip aggregate right behind the distributor.
• Roll with a pneumatic tire roller to bed the stone into the binder.
• Sweep loose chips a day or two later, apply a fog seal if specified.

One day on most residential and ranch jobs. Traffic can usually roll on at low speed the same day, and full cure happens over the first couple weeks as the stone locks in.