It’s essential for folks building new houses or refurbishing some parts of their current homes to be familiar with the proper pavement for their driveway, sidewalk, and parking lot. Often, people tend to play down what a particular driveway option can do to the entire look of their home. If your driveway is no longer in pristine condition, it’s worth considering updating it to give your home a more attractive appeal.
Fundamentally, there are two paving materials: asphalt and concrete. However, both road surfacing agents feature aggregates- stones and sand- but their varying adhesive materials make the difference. While asphalt is petroleum-based, cement binds concrete. Knowing the pros and cons of both paving materials is critical to making an informed decision when choosing from among the two.
While opting for a better paving material that gives you the best result and value, many factors to consider are the following:
- The climatic condition of your location
- The durability of each paving option
- The cost of each surface material, and more.
Knowing the right paving option that suits your needs will not only give you enduring satisfaction but inevitably optimize your home’s overall curb appeal and quality. This straightforward piece simplifies the complexity involved in making a perfect choice. Our paving contractors in Arlington, TX have provided this information in order for homeowners to better understand their options for paving their driveway.
Is asphalt better than concrete?
Both asphalt and concrete paving driveways have various strengths and weaknesses, and adequate knowledge of each paving option’s merits and demerits will help you make a perfect choice. However, neither paving option is better than the other as some are perfect for some specific projects.
Familiarity with the pros and cons of each paving material will give you a foresight necessary to make a choice.
Asphalt or concrete driveway: which one is cheaper?
The cost of executing asphalt is relatively more inexpensive when compared to concrete. Typically, asphalt costs between $2-$4 per square foot, and on the contrary, a concrete driveway costs between $4-$6 per square foot. Moreover, the price of asphalt tends to fluctuate with the fluctuations in crude oil prices. Stain and finishes can catapult the concrete installation cost to as much as $15.00 per square foot.
If you have financial flexibility, you should opt for a concrete driveway as it tends to be more durable. Unlike asphalt driveway, a paving contractor can stain or tint concrete pavement with a shade of colors that magnify your home’s aesthetic appeal.
How often do I maintain asphalt or concrete driveways?
When you finally opt for an asphalt driveway, you should understand the regular attendant maintenance that goes with it. Asphalt pavement, generally required to be sealed between six months and a year after installation, and occasional sealing of asphalt is needed to elongate the life span of the driveway.
On the other hand, concrete driveways don’t call for frequent sealing. When you do apply seal is to optimize the appearance and preserve the finish to remain shiny. However, using a degreaser to remove oil spillage and grease from concrete drive increases its maintenance cost.
Most importantly, both asphalt or concrete driveways require proper maintenance for longevity. Cracks caused by extreme weather or heavy-duty vehicles affect both paving driveways, and it’s a lot easier for homeowners to fix asphalt cracks than fissures on the concrete pavement. In other words, concrete driveways are difficult to repair and somehow impossible to resurface.
Is concrete more durable than asphalt?
Homeowners that would want driveways that last long should have their paving contractors install concrete pavement. With proper maintenance, concrete driveways can last as long as 50 years or more. On the contrary, asphalt is less durable, and it can only span 30 years but is very easy to maintDoes concrete drive give more aesthetic?
If you seek to optimize your home’s aesthetic features, concrete pavement allows you to stain, tint, stamp, or etch your drive to get your home the desired outlook. You can choose any decorative option that blends well with your home.
In contrast,asphalt overlay does not permit regular finishes, and it hardly lends itself to staining, stamping, tint, and more. Asphalt finishes are limited mainly to black color, which is contained by some sealants. As a result, it does not allow homeowners to use lovely shades of colors in their finishing touches.
Do climate and weather affect asphalt and concrete?
While deciding on the best paving driveway for your home, your location’s weather and climatic condition should be a critical deciding factor. For instance, concrete tends to crack from frequent freezing and thawing in cold winters, and road salt can also be detrimental to concrete surfaces.
On the flip side, asphalt driveways are affected by the heatwave, and scorching sun softens asphalt and makes it gooey. According to Lone Star Paving, asphalt retains heat more than other paving materials, and typically, it can be 40 or 60 degrees hotter than the air temperature.
Basic meteorological knowledge of your location will save you some costly decisions. Knowing the ideal paving materials that can withstand the extreme weather of your region is vital in making a superb choice.
Conclusion
Both asphalt and concrete are the most sturdy paving materials that last long. In-depth knowledge of both paving driveways will put you on the right footing when embarking on a driveway project.
An asphalt driveway is cheaper and very cost-effective to execute; its maintenance is relatively easy. Unlike concrete pavement, asphalt is flexible and less susceptible to cracking. The cost of asphalt installation is very much inexpensive compared to the value it gives.
With adequate maintenance, an asphalt driveway can last as long as its concrete counterpart. You can get the most life and fantastic appearance by cleaning your asphalt driveway at least twice a year. To improve your home’s overall curb appeal, endeavor to seal your asphalt driveway every 3 to 5 years as it also enhances its water-resistant surface.
Contract professional that will fix cracks and holes on your asphalt driveway as soon as possible. Not taking urgent action when there are fissures on your driveway will make them expand over time.