When your driveway needs to be paved, there are a number of different ways that it can be done. The first step is driveway leveling so that the area can be paved with durable material. Depending on the slope of the area, this may take some time and machinery to do. Then, if you want an asphalt driveway, the asphalt driveway materials are needed. These often include gravel and perhaps fill dirt as well as the asphalt itself.
The best driveway for snow is often concrete or gravel. If you want concrete block driveway pavers, these can often be more expensive than paving with asphalt. They can be a great way to pave, however. When you choose the concrete paver thickness, it’s important to get input about what thickness would be best for the terrain and the climate. When you hire a good company to do the paving, it’s always a good idea to take their expertise into account so that they can make suggestions about the materials used. This can result in a stronger driveway once it has been completed and is ready for your vehicles. A sturdy driveway is a good driveway.
If you’re looking at repaving a driveway, you’re probably trying to decide between two materials: asphalt and concrete. Both are huge industries; the asphalt industry generates about $25 billion a year, employs nearly 24,000 people and has grown by 2% each year for the past six years. Much of that has to do with commercial applications, it’s true, but asphalt is regularly used for residential driveways as well. Here are three reasons to choose asphalt for a repaving project:
- Lower price
Asphalt has a much lower starting point than concrete does, with asphalt prices as low as $3…$5 per square foot. If you’re on a budget, that’s a significant savings from the minimum of $5 per square foot you’re likely to pay for concrete. And if you want to have concrete stained or stamped for additional interest, you’d be looking at closer to $15 per square foot. The cost of asphalt makes it a clear winner here. - Better weather tolerance
Asphalt provides clear advantages in areas of the country that have four-season weather. While it’s true that blacktop can soften slightly in extremely hot temperatures, it also stands up far better to extreme cold. Temperature fluctuations cause concrete, which is more brittle, to crack as it expands and contracts. - Easier repairs
It’s true that asphalt requires some maintenance. It needs to be sealed soon after being laid, and then sealed again every 3…5 years after that, so you’ll want to make friends with some asphalt sealing companies. Asphalt is also more prone to potholes than concrete is.
But while asphalt might require more repairs, those repairs are more easily and cheaply done by an asphalt repair company than concrete repairs are. Asphalt can be patched, leaving virtually no unsightly seams, and asphalt resurfacing can have your driveway looking brand new in no time. All in all, a properly cared for asphalt driveway can last 20 years or even longer.
There are different asphalt grades for driveways. A driveway needs to have asphalt that’s about two and a half inches thick, or three inches thick at the most. Adding asphalt to a level driveway will certainly be relatively easy. Many people will benefit from driveway leveling, especially in areas that often become icy.
People who have steep driveways should actually choose asphalt instead of many other products. Getting asphalt on steep driveway works, since it offers more traction than a lot of other types of materials. Asphalt is better than concrete in that regard. Since the surface of asphalt is also impermeable, it’s also not going to wear down as easily as a lot of other products. The people who have steep driveways will have more issues if they decide to use gravel or processed concrete instead. Asphalt is the best driveway surface.
Individuals who have gravel driveways may think that adding asphalt to their driveways is not going to be an option for them, even if they decide to have most of the gravel removed. However, it is actually possible to pave gravel driveways using asphalt, as well as tar or concrete. The asphalt over gravel driveway option should work well for a lot of people.
Do you like your asphalt driveway? Do you have any recommendations for finding an asphalt repair company? Share your tips in the comments. Get more information on this topic here.
