Do you need to replace the driveway at your home? If so, you may want to put some thought into what kind of material you replace it with. Two common options for driveway paving are asphalt and concrete. It's important to know more about these two materials before you make a decision.
Concrete
Concrete is formed by using cementing rock together, which is typically sand and aggregate rock material. Cement is made entirely out of natural materials, with it being sourced from limestone. This allows concrete to remain more affordable over time due to how it is easier to get cement to make concrete.
Concrete has some common uses where you tend to see it used more often. It's used in bridges, for slabs underneath dumpsters, streets, and sidewalks. When it comes to driveways, you'll more often see it used in smaller residential driveways. This is mainly due to the price of concrete being cheaper and that it is good enough to get the job done.
The problem with concrete is that it tends to crack when the temperature of the material drops too low, which is inevitable to happen with any type of concrete.
Asphalt
Asphalt is different from concrete because the binder that is used is different. Rather than using cement, liquid asphalt is used to combine sand and aggregate rock together. The asphalt binder is made from crude oil, which is one of the reasons why asphalt is going to be more expensive when compared to concrete.
Asphalt is typically used in other areas, with it commonly being used to construct parking lots, streets, and even in playground areas. For driveways, asphalt is more common for very large driveways. It's often used in these areas because you can construct them using porous asphalt. This allows water to actually drain through the surface and go into a reservoir, which helps keep the asphalt dry and in great shape.
Know that asphalt tends to have a lot of give to the material itself since it can flex and change shape according to the weather. It's also a reason why nobody should drive on asphalt for several days after it is installed because it can make permanent indents to the material as it continues to harden.
Looking for more information on using asphalt instead of concrete for your driveway? Reach out to asphalt paving contractors in your area for their assistance.
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