A Queensland spray seal (also called chip seal, or ‘tar’) is bitumen sprayed onto a prepared base and covered at once with stone. The crew checks and sweeps the base, primes or primerseals a new base, sprays the bitumen, spreads and rolls the stone, then sweeps off loose stone. Traffic returns slowly, on the crew’s directions.
Updated 25 September 2026.
Planning a seal? Book an on-site assessment and we’ll walk you through what your job involves. Based in Cooroy, working across the Sunshine Coast, Noosa and Gympie, Brisbane north, Moreton Bay, the Fraser Coast, the Burnetts, Bundaberg, Toowoomba and the Western Downs. See our service areas.
You book a spray sealing crew; it is not a DIY job. The crew checks and sweeps the base, primes or primerseals a new base, sprays the bitumen, spreads stone over it, rolls it and sweeps off the loose stone. It takes a sprayer truck, a stone spreader, a rubber-tyred roller and a road broom.
The steps are the same for a road, a yard or a long rural drive; the size of the job, truck access and, on roads, traffic control are what change. See our bitumen spray sealing service for roads and yards, or how we seal driveways on the Sunshine Coast for homes and acreage.
| Step | What you see on the day | Your part |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Site check | A walk-around of the base, drainage, edges and access | Point out soft spots, buried pipes and tight access |
| 2. Sweep | Broom passes lifting dust and loose gravel | Keep cars and bins off the area |
| 3. Prime or primerseal | A dark, even coat on a new base; a prime is usually a separate visit | Keep traffic to what the crew allows |
| 4. Spray | The sprayer truck at work and a bitumen (hydrocarbon) smell | Keep people and pets clear; avoid breathing the fumes |
| 5. Spread | Tippers and a spreader right behind the sprayer | Stay clear of reversing trucks |
| 6. Roll | Rollers making slow passes | Wait for the crew’s go-ahead |
| 7. Reopen and sweep | Slow traffic, then sweeping; on TMR roads, warning signs and a lower speed limit | Drive slowly and follow the crew’s instructions |
Source: Austroads AGPT Part 4K (2026), sections 7.1 and 7.2; TMR MRTS11 (July 2025), clauses 10 to 14.
The method is the same, but the planning differs:
For a private or shared road, see sealing a private or shared road.
Driveway sealers sold in buckets are typically coatings brushed or squeegeed onto existing, weathered asphalt, rather than a new surface. A spray seal is a new surface of bitumen and stone, laid with a sprayer truck, a spreader and rollers, and on TMR work hand spraying is allowed only where the sprayer cannot reach. That is why this guide gives no do-it-yourself steps.
A spray seal is a thin waterproof surface, so it is only as good as the base under it. Before sealing day the crew checks that the base is shaped to shed water, well compacted, and dried back and firm rather than wet or soft, then sweeps it clean. Any base repairs come first.
| What is checked | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Strength and compaction | A seal’s performance depends on the strength and stability of the pavement under it |
| An even surface finish | Compaction and an even finish are critical to a seal on a gravel base |
| Shape and drainage | Even poorer gravel can perform satisfactorily when its moisture is well controlled |
| Moisture | Austroads calls for a surface-dry base for a prime, and a slightly damp but not wet one for a primerseal |
| Loose material | It is swept off until the larger stones just show |
Source: Austroads AGPT Part 4K (2026), sections 2.3.2, 7.1.1 and 7.1.2; TMR MRTS11 (July 2025), clause 10.1.2.
Your crew will tell you what it needs. Common requests are:
Soft spots, potholes and poor drainage are fixed before any bitumen goes down, because the seal relies on the base for its strength. Your quote should say who does that work.
New or reworked bases get a first bituminous layer before the final seal, either a prime or a primerseal (an ‘initial seal’ in Austroads terms). The choice depends on the base, the traffic and the timing, and your quote should say which one your job needs. Our primer seals page explains the difference and when each is used.
A reseal over an existing seal or asphalt skips this step. On new roads a primerseal can carry traffic straight away, and TMR notes that initial seals are often trafficked for several months before the final seal or asphalt. Builders and developers can read about primerseal and tack coat on estate roads.
Usually not, if the job starts with a prime, because a prime must dry and cure first. Austroads gives a general minimum of about 3 days for a cutback prime and 1 day for an emulsion prime, and TMR jobs require at least 3 days and a completely dry prime. A primerseal carries traffic straight away; ask the crew when the final surface will follow.
A sprayer truck applies the binder, either hot bitumen or a bitumen emulsion, in an even film at a rate set by the seal design. Spraying also waits for the weather: on TMR jobs the specification rules it out in rain or when rain is likely, in strong wind, and on a pavement that is too cold.
Read best time of year to spray seal to plan around the seasons.
No. Many people call it ‘tarring’ a road, but modern sprayed seals use bitumen refined from crude oil, and coal tar is no longer used for sprayed sealing. See bitumen vs tar for the difference.
A sealing site has hot and flammable materials, moving plant and passing traffic. AfPA’s safety course for bituminous surfacing sites lists burns, boilovers, fire, fumes and reversing plant among the common hazards. So:
On departmental (TMR) jobs, the MRTS11 specification requires the following.
| Item | What MRTS11 requires on TMR jobs |
|---|---|
| Sprayer | A current Queensland Sprayer Certificate issued by TMR; hand spraying only where the sprayer cannot reach |
| Seal design | A designer with an AfPA or NTRO sprayed seal design qualification |
| Spray rate | Within 5% of the adjusted design rate |
| Spray temperature | 160 to 190°C for Class 170 bitumen |
| Weather | No spraying in rain, when rain is likely before rolling is done, or in winds over 30 km/h |
| Pavement temperature | Above 20°C for at least an hour before spraying Class 170 bitumen, unless the job’s annexure says otherwise |
| Covering the binder | Stone spread within 10 minutes of spraying (5 minutes for polymer modified binders) |
| Rolling | Multi-tyred rollers, at least 6 passes for bitumen binders |
| Records | A spray sheet for every spray run |
| After sealing | ‘Loose stones’ and ‘slippery’ signs and a temporary 40 km/h limit, where the posted limit is 60 km/h or less |
Source: TMR MRTS11 (July 2025), clauses 9, 11, 12, 14 and 16 and Table 2. Emulsion work falls under MRTS12.
Councils and contractors can use our checklist for engaging a bitumen spraying subcontractor.
Stone (aggregate) is spread straight onto the wet binder by a spreader, usually one stone thick, then rolled so the stones bed in and lie flat. Once the stone has bedded in, loose stone is swept off. The binder rate is designed around the traffic and the stone size.
‘Chip seal’ is the New Zealand name for a sprayed seal (‘chip’ means the stone). Many people call it ‘tar’ (see ‘Is it tar?’ above).
It depends on the area, truck access, whether a prime is needed first, and the weather. Ask for the expected time on site, and any separate visits, with your quote.
Expect trucks, a bitumen (hydrocarbon) smell and a period when the sealed area is closed. Keep children and pets well away from the work, and avoid breathing the fumes, which a bitumen safety data sheet warns against. The crew’s instructions and the binder’s safety data sheet come first.
Usually soon after rolling, but slowly and only when the crew says so, because the stone is still bedding in. Go slowly, with no tight turns or hard braking, and ask the crew when cars, loaded trucks and stock can each use it. This is not hot-mix asphalt, so waiting times quoted for new asphalt driveways do not apply.
| What was laid | What it is | Why the waiting advice differs | Where your timing comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spray seal | Bitumen sprayed and covered with rolled stone | Traffic can go on almost as soon as the stone is spread, at strictly controlled speed, while the stone keeps bedding in | The crew’s instructions for your job |
| Primerseal on a new base | A first sprayed seal, built to carry traffic before the final surface | It is a working surface, often for months, before the final seal or asphalt | The crew, for your job |
| Hot-mix asphalt | A premixed material made in a plant, laid hot and compacted | It must cool before it can carry traffic without deforming; online asphalt times describe this | The asphalt contractor |
Source: Austroads AGPT Part 4K (2026), sections 3.2.2, 6.7 and 7.2.6; TMR TN186 (2019), section 1.1; TMR MRTS30 (March 2024), clause 8.4.
Drive slowly and straight where you can. Avoid turning the wheel while stopped, hard braking and tight turns at the house, shed and entrance, because turning and braking tyres pull stone from a new seal. Slow traffic helps settle the stone, while speed damages a fresh seal.
Austroads notes that more heavy trucks in hot weather, such as at harvest or for stock transport, can affect a seal’s performance for up to two summers after it is laid. Traffic is a main input to the seal design, so when you ask for a quote, tell the crew about:
Keep stock off the new seal until the crew says it is ready.
In the first spell of hot weather, the binder in a new seal can soften and bleed up through the stone, leaving shiny, sticky patches. Avoid tight turns on hot afternoons and tell the crew about any sticky or shiny patches.
On TMR jobs, spraying does not go ahead in rain or when rain is likely before the stone is spread and rolled, and cold, damp conditions raise the risk of tyres stripping stone. Rain and the seasons are covered in best time of year to spray seal.
For the first weeks, drive slowly, avoid turning the wheels while stopped, keep fuel and oil off the surface and expect some loose stone. Soft or shiny binder can show on the first hot days and is worth telling the crew about. Spreading bare patches, or stone loss in the wheel paths, are worth a call.
If you notice bare patches or stone loss, contact us.
A chip seal is a spray seal, and a road is done the same way as a drive. The base is checked and swept, a new base is primed or primersealed, bitumen is sprayed, stone is spread straight onto it and rolled, and loose stone is swept off while traffic runs slowly. Road jobs also need traffic control. For private or shared roads, see sealing a private or shared road.
You book a crew with a sprayer truck, a stone spreader and a roller. The drive is checked and swept, a new gravel base is primed or primersealed, then bitumen is sprayed, and stone is spread, rolled and swept. Truck access, turning areas and drainage need planning. For a long rural drive, see how we seal driveways and rural roads on the Sunshine Coast.
Not with a spray seal. Bucket sealers (sealcoat) are typically coatings for existing, weathered asphalt, not a new surface. A spray seal needs bitumen (hot bitumen or an emulsion) from a sprayer truck, stone straight after it and rollers, on a site with burn and fire hazards, so it is work for a sealing crew. For a driveway, ask for an on-site quote.
On a spray seal, slow traffic can usually go on almost as soon as the stone is spread, and the stones keep settling under traffic, mostly over the first year or two. Emulsions gain strength more slowly than hot bitumen, so traffic may wait longer, especially in cool weather. Your crew gives the timing for your job; see our bitumen spray sealing service.
On a new spray seal, traffic can usually go on soon after rolling, slowly and when the crew says so; check with the crew when cars, loaded trucks and stock can each use it. Online waiting times for new asphalt driveways are for hot-mix asphalt, which must cool first, so they do not apply. Ask for your reopening instructions when you contact us.
‘Tarring’ is what many people call spray sealing: bitumen is sprayed onto a prepared base, covered with stone, rolled and swept. No tar is used; modern sprayed seals use bitumen refined from crude oil, and coal tar is no longer used for sprayed sealing. See bitumen vs tar for the difference.
Yes. Expect a bitumen (hydrocarbon) smell on sealing day. Keep children and pets well away from the work, avoid breathing the fumes, and follow your crew’s instructions and the binder’s safety data sheet. Our section on what to expect at your place on sealing day explains how to get ready before the crew arrives.
Based in Cooroy, working across the Sunshine Coast, Noosa and Gympie, Brisbane north, Moreton Bay, the Fraser Coast, the Burnetts, Bundaberg, Toowoomba and the Western Downs. See our service areas. Monday to Friday, 6am to 6pm.
All checked 25 September 2026.
Office: 07 5447 6619
Anthony: 0427 890 222
Joel: 0428 896 333
ABN: 78 650 464 136
ACN: 650 464 136