Driveway Sealer Calculator
Find how many 17 L pails of driveway sealer you need. Measure in feet or metres, pick the surface, and add any cracks.
Measure your driveway
Leave it blank to use the surface choice above. Thin acrylic sealers cover much more than plain ones.
Your answer
17 L pails of driveway sealer, for 1 coat on 600 sq ft.
Seal at 10 °C or warmer, on dry days. Keep cars off 4–48 hours, by pail. On new asphalt, wait 6–12 months. Coal-tar sealer is banned in Canada.
What it costs
Pail: the middle of 11 pails, emulsion and acrylic mixed, at only 3 Ontario stores, $29.99–$69.28. Pro: the middle prices of 5 Ontario contractors. Before tax (Oct 2026). The crack filler figure is from a US maker.
Quick answers
- What 17 L covers
- 200–400 sq ft a coat for asphalt emulsion. Thin acrylic pails claim much more.
- 12 × 50 ft driveway
- 2 pails for one coat, or 4 for two, on a normal surface.
- Price of a pail
- About $49.99, the middle of 11 emulsion and acrylic pails at 3 Ontario stores. Before tax.
- Coal-tar sealer
- Banned. No store in Canada may sell it after 31 December 2025.
- When to seal
- Late May to early October, above 10 °C, with 24–48 hours of dry weather, says one Ontario contractor.
How to work it out
- Measure the driveway in feet. Length × width = square feet.
- Multiply that by how many coats you will put on.
- Divide by what one pail covers. Emulsion covers 200–400 sq ft, and we use 300. Or type your pail's own figure.
- Round up to the next whole pail.
12 × 50 = 600 sq ft
600 × 1 coat ÷ 300 = 2.0, so 2 pails
For 2 coats: 1,200 ÷ 300 = 4.0, so 4 pails
What a 17 L pail covers
Pails look the same, but the area each one says it covers is not. Here is what store pages said.
| Pail (store, size) | Price | Label says |
|---|---|---|
| Resisto 2-year, emulsion (RONA, 17 L) | $29.99 | 250–500 sq ft |
| Latex-ite Runway Formula (Home Depot, 17.9 L) | $39.97 | 27–46 m² (about 291–495 sq ft) |
| Black Jack Drive-Maxx 200, filler and sealer (Home Hardware, 17 L) | $45.99 | about 350 sq ft |
| Epoxyshield (Rust-Oleum) (Home Depot, 17 L) | $48.40 | up to 1,000 sq ft, one coat |
| Black Gold, acrylic modified (Home Hardware, 17 L) | $49.99 | about 1,700 sq ft |
| Resisto acrylic restorer (RONA, 17 L) | $57.99 | 350–800 sq ft |
Regular prices, before tax. Home Depot in Toronto, RONA in Scarborough, Home Hardware in St. Jacobs.
Two kinds of sealer
Sheets from 3 asphalt emulsion makers fall inside 200–400 sq ft a coat. Resisto and Henry are two of them. Our surface choices use these figures.
Resisto's own sheet says 200–400 sq ft. The store page for the same pail says 250–500 sq ft.
Acrylic sealers go on thin. Rust-Oleum says 675–1,000 sq ft per 17 L. Black Gold says about 1,700 sq ft.
Using an acrylic pail? Type the number on it in the "Coverage on your pail" box above.
Pails and coats
| Driveway | 1 coat, normal | 2 coats, normal | 2 coats, rough |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 30 ft | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 12 × 50 ft | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 20 × 40 ft | 3 | 6 | 8 |
| 24 × 50 ft | 4 | 8 | 12 |
At 300 sq ft a pail on a normal surface and 200 on a rough one.
One coat or two?
Henry's HE200 sheet says not to put on more than one coat. It is an older copy from a US store's site. Rust-Oleum Canada's sealer is one coat too, so the calculator starts at 1. Resisto's sheet gives no number.
Rust-Oleum says a badly worn driveway may need a second coat. A pro sealer's sheet (Jet Black AE) allows 1–2 coats. Go by your pail. Rust-Oleum's sheet also says not to dilute it.
Coal-tar sealer is banned in Canada
A federal rule, SOR/2025-36, bans coal-tar driveway sealer. With a few exceptions, no one may make or import it after 1 October 2025. No one may sell it after 31 December 2025.
Some older pages still say "tar-based". Pails sold today should be asphalt emulsion or acrylic.
When and how often to seal your driveway
Resisto, Rust-Oleum, Henry's HE200 and a pro sealer all say at least 10 °C. Henry's Black Knight Airport+ says 4 °C.
Henry's HE200 sheet also wants no forecast below 10 °C for 48 hours.
On new asphalt, wait 6–12 months before the first coat. One Ontario pro sealer's sheet says at least 90 days in warm weather. After that, Canadian contractors reseal every 2–4 years.
Latex-ite, a US maker, says to wait at least 12 months before the first coat. That is the top of the 6–12 month range. The Asphalt Institute says a well-built driveway may not need sealing for about 2–5 years.
Do you need to pressure wash it first?
Rust-Oleum says to sweep, scrub with a stiff broom and driveway cleaner, then hose it off. Latex-ite says to rinse it and let it dry for 24 hours. No maker sheet we read asks for a pressure washer, so it is not needed.
Do it yourself or hire a pro
One coat on 600 sq ft takes 2 pails, about $100 at the $49.99 middle price. That middle mixes acrylic and emulsion pails. Resisto's emulsion pails were $29.99–$39.98 at RONA.
Ontario contractors charge about $0.375 a sq ft, the middle of 5. That is $225 for the same driveway.
Our crack filler figure is from a US maker: about 40 ft of crack per litre. That is for cracks ½ in wide and ¼ in deep.
Questions people ask
How much does 17 L of driveway sealer cover?
An emulsion pail covers 200–400 sq ft a coat. 3 makers' sheets fall in that range. Thin acrylic pails claim 675–1,000 sq ft or more. Type your pail's figure into the calculator.
How many coats of driveway sealer?
It depends on the pail. Henry's HE200 sheet (an older US copy) and Rust-Oleum Canada say one coat, so the calculator starts there. A pro sealer's sheet allows 1–2.
How often does a driveway need to be sealed?
Every 2–4 years, say Canadian contractors. Rust-Oleum says its sealer lasts up to 5 years.
How long after sealing can you park?
Resisto says to wait 48 hours. Rust-Oleum's thin sealer lets cars on after 4 hours.
How long should driveway sealer dry before rain?
Resisto wants no rain for 24 hours. Rust-Oleum needs 1 hour. Check the forecast before you start.
Why do you need to seal your driveway?
Sealing renews asphalt that has gone dry and brittle with age, says the Asphalt Institute. It also seals small cracks and slows stones coming loose. SealMaster, a sealer maker, says regular sealing will more than double the life of the asphalt.
How much does it cost to have a driveway sealed?
Ontario contractors charge about $0.375 a sq ft before tax, the middle of 5. A 12 × 50 ft driveway is about $225. The pails to do it yourself cost about $100 before tax.
What tools do I need to seal my driveway?
Resisto's sheet says to spread it with a squeegee. Rust-Oleum's goes on with a roller. Fill any cracks first.
Where our numbers come from
- Spread with a squeegee: Resisto driveway sealer sheet
- Sealer coverage, one coat only: Henry HE200 data sheet
- Sealer: Henry Black Knight Airport+ (Canada) product page
- Sealer: PDQ Jet Black AE data sheet (pro product)
- Sealer coverage: Rust-Oleum Canada EpoxyShield Driveway Sealer Plus data sheet
- Sealer coverage: Black Gold 17 L acrylic sealer (Home Hardware page)
- Store prices: Ontario Home Depot, RONA, Home Hardware and Chamberlain Timber Mart (Oct 2026)
- Pro sealing price: 5 Ontario contractors (Oct 2026)
- New asphalt care: Canadian paving contractors (driving, curing, first seal, reseal)
- Coal-tar sealer ban: Canada Gazette, SOR/2025-36
- Crack filler: Jetcoat data sheet (about 150 ft per gallon)
- When new asphalt needs sealing: Asphalt Institute engineering FAQ
- Why seal: SealMaster (sealer maker)
- Prep and timing: Latex-ite Optimum driveway sealer data sheet
Made by BuildersCount. Last checked 4 Oct 2026.
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