Driveway sealing in Ottawa costs about $0.35 to $0.75 per square foot in 2026, which works out to roughly $180 to $450 for a typical two-car asphalt driveway of 500–600 square feet. Small single-car driveways often come in at $150–$250, while long suburban or rural driveways of 1,000+ square feet commonly run $400–$800. Crack filling is usually priced separately at $1.50–$4 per linear foot or bundled as a $75–$200 add-on. Interlock and paver sealing is a different job entirely, costing $1.50–$3.50 per square foot because it requires cleaning, re-sanding joints, and a penetrating sealer. Ottawa...
Sealing is priced by square footage, and most Ottawa contractors work from a per-square-foot rate with a minimum charge. A compact single-car driveway of about 300–400 sq ft usually costs $150–$280. The most common suburban size — a two-car driveway around 500–600 sq ft in Barrhaven, Orléans, or Kanata — typically runs $180–$450 depending on condition and sealer grade. Wide double driveways of 800–1,000 sq ft land near $350–$650, and long rural laneways in Greely, Manotick, or Carp can exceed $800 simply because of the volume of material. Most companies apply a minimum service charge of roughly $150–$200 to cover mobilization, so very small driveways rarely cost proportionally less. Two-coat applications add roughly 40–60% over a single coat but noticeably extend the interval before you need to reseal. Price also shifts with sealer type: standard refined-tar or asphalt emulsion sits at the low end, while premium polymer-modified or acrylic-fortified sealers cost more per litre and typically justify the top of the range.
Hot rubberized crack filling costs about $1.50–$4 per linear foot in Ottawa, or $75–$200 bundled with a sealing job. Skipping it is false economy — sealer alone bridges hairline cracks but does nothing for gaps wider than about 6 mm.
These are two different services with very different price tags, and homeowners often confuse them when calling for quotes. Asphalt sealcoating applies a surface film that blocks UV, oxygen, water, and salt from degrading the bitumen binder — it is fast, inexpensive, and typically done in a single afternoon. Interlock and concrete-paver sealing costs considerably more, roughly $1.50–$3.50 per square foot in Ottawa, because the process involves pressure washing, removing weeds and moss from joints, re-sanding with polymeric sand, and then applying a penetrating or film-forming sealer that stabilizes the joints and resists efflorescence. On a 500 sq ft interlock driveway that is $750–$1,750 versus $180–$450 for the same area in asphalt. Stamped or exposed-aggregate concrete driveways fall in between at roughly $1–$2.50 per square foot for a quality densifier or acrylic sealer. If you are also weighing landscape upgrades around the driveway, the sealing decision often gets bundled into a broader front-yard project, so it is worth pricing it alongside any hardscaping work you have planned.
Timing matters more than most homeowners realize. A brand-new asphalt driveway should cure for at least 6 to 12 months before its first seal; sealing too early traps oils in the surface and can leave a soft, scuffing finish. After that, resealing every two to three years is the sweet spot in Ottawa — annual sealing is a common upsell that builds up brittle layers that eventually flake. Sealing season here runs from late May through early October, and the job needs surface temperatures above about 10°C with no rain for 24 hours and no traffic for 24–48 hours. Do not seal a driveway that is already structurally failing: if you have alligator cracking across large areas, potholes, or sections where the base has settled, sealer is cosmetic only and you should budget for resurfacing or replacement instead. A good contractor will tell you this honestly. Also skip sealing in late October and November — cool nights and heavy dew prevent proper curing, and the coat may wash off with the first hard rain.
Grey, faded colour instead of dark black; visible loose aggregate when you sweep; water soaking in rather than beading; and new hairline cracks appearing. If it has been three or more winters, it is due.
Every spring, Ottawa neighbourhoods see door-to-door crews offering to seal your driveway for $99 because they "have leftover material from a job down the street." This is one of the most persistent home-services scams in the region, and the Ontario Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery regularly warns about it. The tells are consistent: unmarked trucks, no written contract, cash-only pricing, pressure to decide immediately, and no company name you can look up. What you typically get is heavily diluted sealer or even used motor oil, which looks black for two weeks and then washes away, sometimes staining walkways and killing adjacent grass. Under Ontario's Consumer Protection Act, most direct-agreement contracts signed at your door can be cancelled within 10 days, but recovering money from an untraceable crew is nearly impossible. Protect yourself by getting a written quote with the company's business name, HST number, and sealer product specified, and by verifying the contractor before any work starts rather than after.
DIY sealing is genuinely viable on smaller driveways. Buckets of driveway sealer run about $40–$70 each at Ottawa big-box stores, and a 500 sq ft driveway needs roughly three to four buckets for a proper coat, so material alone is $150–$280 — plus a squeegee applicator, crack filler, and a degreaser for oil spots. That means DIY often saves only $50–$150 over a professional job on a typical two-car driveway, and it costs you a full day of scraping, edging, and squeegeeing. Professionals also bring hot-pour crack filling equipment that far outperforms the cold caulk tubes sold retail, and they apply a more consistent film thickness, which is what actually determines how long the seal lasts. Where DIY makes real sense is on very small driveways where the contractor minimum charge dominates, or when you want to touch up a single stained section. For anything over about 600 square feet, professional application usually wins on both durability and effort — and reputable local companies will fold crack filling, oil-spot priming, and edge trimming into one price.
In 2026, driveway sealing in Ottawa costs about $0.35–$0.75 per square foot, or roughly $180–$450 for a typical 500–600 sq ft two-car asphalt driveway. Small driveways often hit a $150–$200 minimum charge, and large or rural laneways can exceed $800.
Every two to three years is ideal for Ottawa's freeze-thaw and road-salt conditions. Sealing every single year builds up brittle layers that flake, and waiting more than four years lets water penetrate the asphalt binder and accelerate cracking.
Late May through early October. You need surface temperatures above roughly 10°C, no rain for 24 hours after application, and 24–48 hours before driving on it. Late-fall sealing often fails to cure properly because of cool nights and heavy dew.
Interlock and paver sealing costs about $1.50–$3.50 per square foot in Ottawa, so a 500 sq ft interlock driveway typically runs $750–$1,750. The price includes pressure washing, weed and moss removal, re-sanding joints with polymeric sand, and applying the sealer.
Yes, on structurally sound asphalt. Sealing blocks water, salt, and UV from degrading the binder, and in Ottawa's climate that can add years to the driveway's life for a few hundred dollars. It is not worth it if the driveway already has alligator cracking, potholes, or base settlement — those need resurfacing or replacement.
No. Cash-only, leftover-material offers from unmarked trucks are a well-known Ontario spring scam and often involve diluted sealer or used oil. Always get a written quote with the company name, HST number, and the specific sealer product, and verify the contractor before work begins.