Seal an asphalt driveway

Two hours of work that buys years. Water in a crack is what turns a driveway into a repair.

How big is the drive?

square feet

This fits in a car

About 168 lb of materials. Comfortably inside what a car carries (200 lb), so any shopper can take it. ⚠️ 1 item on the list has no weight on file, so the real load is a little heavier than this.

Before you start

Sealer is unpleasant stuff: gloves, old clothes, and keep it off skin and out of drains. Do not do this if rain is forecast within a day — it washes into the storm drain and the drive has to be done again.

What to buy — untick anything you have

Driveway

2 pails of driveway sealer, 5 gallon pailA five-gallon pail is about 55 lb and awkward to carry — two of them is a real load. Check the forecast: it needs a dry day above about 50°F and no rain for 24 hours after.
2 tubes of asphalt crack filler
1 bag of cold patch asphalt repair
1 can of oil spot primer
1 roll of masking tape

Tools — already ticked off, since most people have them

Tools

1 Driveway squeegee brush
1 Stiff yard broom· most people have this
1 Leaf blower· most people have this

Safety

1 Gloves and old boots· most people have this

It lands in the shopping form, where you can edit anything and say what you think each thing costs. Nothing is ordered until you send it.

How it goes · about a day · beginner

Sweep and blow the whole drive clean, then scrub any oil patch and prime it — sealer will not stick over oil.
Fill the cracks and tamp cold patch into any pothole, and let those cure for as long as the tin says.
Tape the edges where the drive meets the path or the garage.
Pour a ribbon of sealer and pull it out with the squeegee in overlapping passes, working away from the garage towards the road.
Keep everything off it for the full time on the tin — usually 24 hours for feet and 48 for a car.

Something else

Build a raised garden bed Mulch a flower bed Paint a room Put up garage shelving Fix a patchy lawn Build a fire pit Mount a TV on the wall Cookout for a crowd

Feeding people instead? The recipe book works the same way — pick a meal, say how many, every ingredient lands on the list.