When landscaping your new home or renovating from an older plan, one of the main considerations is the paths and the driveway. Driveways do not have to be boring, especially if you have some room to be creative, you don’t have to make it a straight line, and you don’t have to make it out of concrete. There are several surfaces that you can choose from to match your landscaping ideas and your sense of style. Of the different materials there are benefits and disadvantages of each. Here is a look at three common driveway surfaces.
- Asphalt: Asphalt is created by mixing specially formulated petroleum products with a crushed gravel aggregate. This is done at high temperature, but there are hot and cold applications for asphalt. The cold version is usually for small jobs that aren’t expected to be travelled on by heavy vehicles. The hot version generally is applied with special equipment and is not a DIY project. Asphalt car park repairs in Brisbane are done by qualified professionals. Asphalt is a good material for narrow and or curvy pathways. When applied it is uniform and black. Asphalt is less prone to frost damage, and it can be easily patched.
- Concrete: Concrete is a well-known and durable material for driveways. It can be applied by professionals, but it is not so complicated that it cannot be done by the homeowner with some experienced help and the right tools. Concrete needs to be applied in an appropriate thickness to hold the weight of vehicles; more than 4 inches. And you should include wire mesh of appropriate thickness as well. Concrete can be poured into any shape and so it is an excellent choice for areas with curved edges. Properly applied concrete can last 50 years in the right conditions.
- Brick Pavers: There many kinds of brick pavers. Making road surfaces with pavers goes back to the Roman times, but these days the pavers are made in a factory and they are uniform and come in a variety of shapes and hues. The secret to pavers is to have an excellent subsurface that is well compacted and uniform. Pavers can provide beautiful results. Brick pavers can be expensive, especially if you pay for installation, but they are an elegant product and are well worth the extra cost
If applied properly all three of these materials will provide long lasting results. The main differences between them are cost and appearance.
