Asphalt vs Concrete Driveways

Selecting the right materials for your driveway is vital. Climate, budget and aesthetics may factor in your final choice. When you’re set to install your new driveway, you’ll discover the two most popular materials are asphalt and concrete. 

As you are looking around for the best choice to fit in with your needs, you will also see that there are other materials that are available to you for your driveway besides asphalt and concrete. Gravel is a low end choice while brick and other types of materials will be more of the higher end. However, asphalt and concrete are far more common and each kind comes with their own distinct advantages and disadvantages.

Asphalt

Asphalt is going to be a bit more limited when it comes to the use, simply because it has to be rolled and fully compressed. You do not have many options to choose from if you are thinking that you want to have any sort of unique finish and the standard color is still a more popular black. However, there are newer options coming out today where you can add tints in at the end of installation with a sealant or even adding in some different colors during the mixing process.

Concrete

Concrete is known as an easier material than asphalt to work with if you are looking to come up with a different finish. You can also work to stain or tint your concrete to match up with any sort of color that you are looking for. You can even mix and match up the colors so that you can get a unique pattern in one single driveway. Depending on what you are looking for, you can also stamp, engrave or etch your concrete to give a different design and you may even have the option of brush or exposed aggregate. Each of these options are what will make some homeowners lead to the use of concrete over asphalt.

Overall, you are going to find that climate is going to play a major role in whether or not you can successfully use concrete or asphalt. If you happen to live in an area that has a really cold winter or very warm summer, concrete will usually start to crack and become damaged due to the frost heaves in winter. Additionally, ice melting during the winter can cause a great deal of pitting or blotches in the concrete.

Alternatively, when you have asphalt in an area that is a super hot climate, the surface can become soft in high temperatures as the tar within heats up. Whether you need a driveway in Wiltshire or beyond, you will always find that working with a professional contractor and getting advice will be the best way to decide what is going to be best for your home and a new driveway.