Paving Your Driveway Using an Asphalt Paving Machine

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How to Extend Your Property

Hello, my name is Danny and this is my new blog. I live in Sydney, Australia in my dream property. When I bought this house, it wasn't my dream at all but I could see that the place had potential. When I first saw the place, I knew it had potential but it was a little small. I bought it and decided to extend the kitchen and dining room out into the yard. I am not a construction professional so I had no idea how to do this. Thankfully, my friend recommended a fantastic contractor who helped me plan the work and then completed the work in super quick time. I learnt a lot so I would like to share it here.

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Paving Your Driveway Using an Asphalt Paving Machine

26 February 2020
 Categories: Construction & Contractors, Blog


You benefit greatly by paving the driveway in your home. The paving makes it easy to organise and demarcate your parking spaces. Secondly, the paving improves the overall curb appeal in your home and keeps your garden area safe from intrusion by pedestrians and vehicles. Lastly, a paved driveway easily keeps your home's exterior in great shape.

Laying these driveways is a skillset that is within reach of many homeowners, especially those who like to take on do-it-yourself projects. Use this guide to learn about paving your driveway with an asphalt paving machine:

Preparation Comes First 

Start by marking out the area that you would like to pave using the asphalt. Here, make sure that you are leaving enough passage for all kinds of vehicles that you expect in your home. When you finish demarcating, pour about six to nine inches of gravel over the intended paving. The idea is to have a firm foundation that can handle the weight that you will be placing on the driveway as you drive. A thin foundation will make your driveway and parking areas crumble when vehicles pass and stop over them. 

Make sure that you accumulate slightly more gravel at the centre of the driveway, so that runoff water drains off easily whenever there is rain. 

Applying the Asphalt Paving

You need to know a few things about asphalt. First, it has a terrible smell when raw. Secondly, the mixture of asphalt cement, rocks and sand works well at high temperatures. The hot mixture can cause some severe injuries so you need protective gloves, goggles and boots when handling it. You also need a respiratory mask to reduce the amount of fumes that you inhale. Pour the raw mixture into the machine's hopper and start it. This will raise the temperature in the kiln and heat the mixture accordingly. Drive the paving machine over the area that you want to pave. Drive slowly so that the asphalt mixture spreads evenly across the road. The machine tamps down the asphalt during motion. Ideally, make the paving as thick as two inches. If you expect lots of traffic and big vehicles, then you can go for an eight to ten-inch layer of thickness. 

Finishing the Work

The aim of finishing is to make sure that you have a neat and durable driveway. Remove all the excess asphalt lying on the side of the paving. Let the area dry for at least twenty-four hours before driving vehicles over it.

If you would rather relax and have the job done quickly, you can call a local asphalt company.