When relocating to a new neighborhood, or building a new house where other things are essential to consider, a driveway is also a prime concern for new house owners should not overlook it.
Before going deeper into it let’s see.
What is a driveway?
A driveway is a path that connects a house, a garage, or a parking lot to the main public road.
Usually, it’s built of either Concrete or Asphalt.
For new house owners if a driveway is already built then it’s great!
Just give it a repairing touch so if at all any texture is damaged it gets repaired. This will empower your new house finishing, as a completely new look.
But for people who have to build a driveway, it can be confusing as well as lack of knowledge so to avoid falling for the wrong material it’s ideal to look at the differences of material used in building a driveway and their characteristics.
How to choose the right material for your driveway?
Concrete and Asphalt are the most common materials anyone can use if they are looking to build a new driveway.
Although both are good choices, each has its advantages and disadvantages.
Below is a short comparison between Concrete vs. Asphalt as well as their built quality, which is worth considering before rushing into deciding which one should be preferred.
Concrete
Concrete is usually made up of crushed rock and sand which is called aggregate, along with water and cement.
The mixture of cement and water acts as a binder in concrete to hold the aggregate strongly together.
After it gets dried it becomes a sturdy solid which is prone to cracking and breaking.
Asphalt
A bit similar to Concrete, Asphalt is usually made up of aggregate, but in this things are little changed like it’s bitumen along with a dark sticky substance which is extracted from crude oil.
Then the hot asphalt is poured onto a bed of heavier aggregate and pressed with a steamroller into it.
Usually, this is the most common material used around the world for making pavements and traffic roads.
Although Asphalt is extremely hard and durable for routine automobile traffic, it also gives the flexibility to grab imperfections in its underlying surfaces during regular repairs.
Comparison of Concrete vs. Asphalt
| S.No. | Concrete | Asphalt |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sturdy solid | Hard and solid |
| 2 | Built with environment-friendly substances | Built with bitumen, crude oil |
| 3 | Less prone to wear and tear | Require frequent repairs and touches |
| 4 | Customizable colors through dyes and powders that give a natural look | Requires special paints like a sealer |
| 5 | Very smooth, possibly slippery on snowy conditions | Non-Slippery and has a strong grip on tires |
| 6 | Highly durable | Strong enough to withstand automobiles |
| 7 | Long life span from 30-45 years | Short life span from 20-25 years |
| 8 | Expensive per square feet to build and repair | Cheap per square feet to build and repair |
| 9 | Best for High temperatures | Best for cold and extreme climate fluctuations |
