Can you asphalt over a concrete driveway

If the earth beneath your driveway tends to shift or sink, laying asphalt over concrete may not be that prudent. Any expansion joints deep within the concrete will rear themselves as cracks in the asphalt, ruining your newly paved driveway. In some cases, shifts underground can even cause cracks across the surface of the driveway. If the question is "CAN I lay asphalt over concrete?

It's also the cheaper option since heavy equipment is required to dig up an existing concrete slab. Nevertheless, there are significant downsides to this. Generally speaking, we recommend removing the existing concrete first, for two big reasons.

The big problem with laying asphalt driveways over concrete has to do with the initial preparation of the site. With concrete, if you're concerned about strength and stability, the solution is to simply lay a thicker slab. Because of this, contractors laying concrete rarely worry about preparing the base. The ground underneath a concrete driveway may be prone to shifting or sinking, and there's really no way of knowing what's down there until it's dug up.

Proper asphalt driveway installation starts with hiring a licensed asphalt driveway contractor. The durability of your asphalt paved driveway will depend on the strength of the underlying base. Concrete and asphalt driveway contractors have different techniques for creating strong driveways. With concrete, a contractor will lay a thicker slab for a durable driveway. Your contractor may be able to work around this by tapering the edges , but the driveway will always be higher than it was.

You also need a good depth of asphalt to ensure it will last and not start to crumble; reducing the amount of asphalt used is not an option. Your concrete driveway may be a few centimetre deep already, and when you add another layer of asphalt, you are adding a few centimetres more. Before you know it, you will have a lip or edge that runs all the way around the perimeter.

This may be an issue where the driveway meets the road or pavement edge, and where it meets the steps into your home. While you may be adding asphalt to your driveway to improve how it looks and performs, you need to bear in mind that the surface will require ongoing maintenance. The fact it is installed over concrete is likely to mean it is prone to cracks. These can be repaired relatively easily, but should be done as soon as they appear. You may also choose to seal the driveway; this needs to be repeated every years.

If you want asphalt, you should dig up the old the driveway, and start afresh. But if you are doing that, you might want to consider resin bound as it will last even longer and give you plenty more options when it comes to the look you want to achieve. The idea of paying asphalt over concrete may seem very tempting as the costs are significantly cheaper than starting from scratch.

But in the long term what you actually want is a driveway that looks solid and long lasting , and a driveway that is aesthetically attractive; one that will last for many years, with little or no maintenance.

Resin bound driveways offer this and more. Resin bound driveways are a mix of resin and aggregate stone that have been mixed together, and pressed into a sub-base. This base can be asphalt that has been newly laid to provide a solid and smooth surface.

While asphalt comes in one colour — black, resin bound can be any colour you wish. Simply choose the stones that you like and mix and match as required. As the base is also permeable, the chances of cracking are incredibly low and almost always only ever due to poor installation.