Are you thinking of resurfacing your driveway but not sure whether to go with concrete or asphalt driveway? Don’t worry! This post will help you to understand the key distinction between concrete and asphalt driveways, so you can decide what’s best for your driveway.
Concrete Or Asphalt Driveway — Uncovering the Best Option!
As both concrete and asphalt offer a huge array of options, they are widely used resurfacing material all around Australian roads, car parks and runways. Before commencing a driveway resurfacing project, it’s always important to make sure the base is strong, as it will greatly aid in extending your installation’s longevity.
If you’re dealing with an aged or cracked surface that requires a makeover so that it augments street appeal, and gives a clean and beautiful look to your home, business or commercial place, then you need to choose between asphalt and concrete resurfacing.
Vital Consideration
When concrete cracks, it must be replaced because if it’s patched or repaired then it won’t look good, or last. Conversely, asphalt can be easily repaired using resurfacing, or removing a portion and replacing it completely.
Concrete or Asphalt Driveway — Which Is a Widely Used Option?
Normally, asphalt resurfacing is widely used in semi-rural areas, high traffic areas, larger driveways and car parks in Australia because asphalt can be easily repaired or resurfaced again in the future at a comparatively low cost.
Nonetheless, a different material may suit different needs, thus, you need to consider several factors before finalising material to resurface a driveway.
Key Distinctions Between Asphalt & Concrete Driveways
Ingredient Used in Asphalt & Concrete
One of the major distinction between asphalt and the concrete driveway is in the material it uses for bounding. Concrete uses cement while asphalt uses bitumen, and this distinction contributes to the driveway or pavement’s overall features such as the look and feel, durability and cost.
Key Advantage of Asphalt
When choosing between an asphalt or concrete driveway, one of the key benefits of asphalt is that it doesn’t require expansion joints or curing time, which means a quicker installation process and downtime before the area can be used again.
Time Required
Concrete driveways can be installed and made ready for use within 1 to 3 weeks time-frame. Conversely, asphalt can be installed and made ready to be used within hours. That means asphalt driveways become available for use immediately after resurfacing.
When dealing with parking spaces leading to shops, residential and business premises, or long semi-rural driveways, or any other place where time is a constraint — in all such places, an asphalt driveway is beneficial.
Surrounding Tree Roots
Concrete and asphalt driveways both can be harmed by tree roots. Concrete cracks and rises as an elevated uneven edge, whereas asphalt is inclined to crack and change to a bump, causing likely tyre damage and drive mishap.
Driveway Installation Complexities
If you want to replace the old or exhausted concrete driveway, then you need to first remove the old concrete out of the driveway, then install a new concrete driveway, whereas asphalt can be resurfaced without removal of the old pavement. Thus, the process is lengthier for resurfacing concrete compared to an asphalt driveway.
Affordability
For factoring in the cost for concrete driveway — you need to consider demolition, disposal and transportation cost for the old and exhausted concrete driveway. Also, as the process is lengthier for concrete installation, it will take more time to complete the entire driveway installation work before the newly built driveway can be used.
Conversely, asphalt can be easily resurfaced without performing any demolition and removal of the old driveway. So asphalt driveways won’t have to incur these expenses, so installing asphalt is affordable compared to installing concrete driveways.
Summing Up
What should you choose — concrete or asphalt driveway in Sydney? Well, it all comes down to your individual preferences such as durability, aesthetics, convenience, and budget. Nonetheless, asphalt ticks all of those boxes plus it’s easy to repair and maintain asphalt compared to concrete driveways or pathways.