Why Is Asphalt Better Than Concrete for a Home Driveway?
When it comes to your home's driveway, you want to ensure you invest in the right materials for your property. This means something strong and durable, as well as attractive, as a driveway can easily affect your home's overall curb appeal. When deciding between asphalt and concrete, note a few tips to consider as to why asphalt might be the better option for your home.
Appearance
Concrete can be painted or stained and then also stamped to make it look more attractive than its standard dull grey colour, but consider the long-term costs and work of maintaining this appearance. Once concrete is painted or stained, you need to use tinted patching compound when it cracks, in order to maintain that same colour and appearance. Even with this specially coloured compound, it can be difficult to hide cracks and subsequent repair work. Colour and stain can then make cracks, chips, and spalling of the surface more visible and noticeable.
However, when asphalt cracks or chips, you can fill it in with a generic asphalt repair material and the colour should be identical. The darker colour of the asphalt can offer some great contrast to a home's exterior, and it stays attractive over time, even when it suffers some damage.
Noise
If you live near a busy roadway or drive a heavy truck yourself, you may be aware of how much noise is generated outside your home by traffic and vehicles. Asphalt's soft surface tends to absorb sound from vehicles, as well as soundwaves and vibrations from any noise source. Because concrete is more brittle than asphalt, it doesn't provide this absorption and won't make your home's exterior any quieter.
Fast installation
When you have asphalt installed as your home's driveway, you can drive on it almost immediately. However, concrete will typically need several days to dry and set completely, and sometimes even longer, depending on the weather, humidity levels, and thickness of concrete. If you don't want to be delayed while waiting for your home's driveway to set, or risk anyone vandalizing it with handprints or other marks while the surface is still wet, asphalt is the better choice.
Slopes
Concrete is best suited to a perfectly level and even surface, as it may buckle and crack when poured or installed over a gradient. However, asphalt is more likely to shift and settle onto an uneven surface without cracking. If your property would need extensive grading and levelling before your driveway is poured, asphalt can be the better and more affordable option.