Pavers verses black asphalt driveway??

[bigtiller]

Asphalt is great, but don't do it like I did.

A crew came in and graded and compacted our old gravel driveway. Then they laid down 3 inches and drove a compacting roller over it smashing it down to about an inch. That was about 7 years ago. The maintenance on it is just about like owning a boat. When mother nature degrades it to the point where it becomes an eye sore, I will replace it with concrete.

 

[vtsnowedin]

In my opinion the ground up asphalt makes an excellent base and his heavy trucks don't make a dent in it (he has construction co) so can get materials at his cost.. that is a difference.

I agree with that but it does have it's limitations. If placed too thick and poorly compacted it can get soft during hot summer temperatures and parked trucks can sink in. Placed in a thin layer say no more then six inches it works well or if you want a stronger product you can add 1 1/2" concrete stone to it 30/70 or 40/60 stone to millings and get about as strong a base as can be had. A good sub-grade and free draining sand or gravel course under it are still needed for a good job.

 

[Egon]

,o
Me, I'd go concrete paver blocks given the chance. They require the same base preparation as the other mediums. They are durable. They do not start decomposing like asphalt as soon as they are laid. S
pot repairs are the easiest of the three. Installation has no time constraints. They come in different colours, shapes and sizes allowing for patterns.

Paving blocks( coblestones) have been in use for more than a few years. Chances are some roads/streets that are still in use will date back to Roman or earlier times.

Concrete is best for frequent stops/starts. Pavers will also survive in those conditions. Asphalt will move, get ridges/ripples and be requiring constant. Repair. Ever notice how bus stops are done in concrete rather than asphalt!!

In those dastardly cold climates frost heaving effects all three. Pavers will be the easiest to fix.:thumbsup:

 

[vtsnowedin]

o
Me, I'd go concrete paver blocks given the chance. ....
.... They do not start decomposing like asphalt as soon as they are laid.

Well that depends on the quality of the concrete and the quality of the asphalt.

Paving blocks( coblestones) have been in use for more than a few years. Chances are some roads/streets that are still in use will date back to Roman or earlier times.

In those dastardly cold climates frost heaving effects all three. Pavers will be the easiest to fix.:thumbsup:

The problem with paver blocks is that plow blades catch on any edge that has been jacked up by frost. Easy to replace but a lot more that need to be replaced. A good paved drive ,asphalt or concrete, is the low maintenance lowest lifecycle cost way to go.

 

[muddstopper]

Good base and proper drainage means almost no frost heaving problems. There is also another alternative to the pavers, asphalt, or concrete. Its called grass pavers. The Base needs to be a prepared a little different than normal pavers, but the pavers themselfs are hollow. One the pavers are laid, they are filled with organic material and then planted in grass. This allows the water to pentrate down thru the pavers, which prevent washouts like you could have on steep driveways that use solid paving such as asphalt, concrete, or masonary paving stones. They hold up well under firetrucks and other heavy equipment. They do require mowing and will pull up if caught by a snow plow. And most likely, you will see a tire track where you drive your vehicle over on a regular basis.

EZ Roll Grass Pavers
Grassy Pavers Grass Paver
Grass Pavers for Driveways

 

[Egon]

Well that depends on the quality of the concrete and the quality of the asphalt.



The problem with paver blocks is that plow blades catch on any edge that has been jacked up by frost. Easy to replace but a lot more that need to be replaced. A good paved drive ,asphalt or concrete, is the low maintenance lowest lifecycle cost way to go.

All asphalt starts losing light ends as. Soon as it gets layed down. Not all concrete is of poor quality.

If you got frost jacking up paver blocks it'll also jack up asphalt and concrete which makes for bigger holes and larger patches.

 

[smalltown]

muddstopper of all the suggestions I was surprised to read about Grass pavers. Also and maybe telling I don't recall reading any responses where somebody actually has pavers in a snowbelt area.

 

[foggy1111]

To me.....asphalt is ok for a driveway....but I dont like to park on it. Oil drips and concentrated weight will make for problems. Pavers really look good......but mine have had problems due to roof water runoff erroding the soil under the pavers. Then too....pavers loose the uniform flatness by parking on them. I do like concrete if its done right.....and stamped and stained concrete looks as good as pavers IMO. Were going to build a new home this fall.....and the stamped and stained concrete parking surface is in our plans.....and a asphalt driveway is going to take us to the concrete.

 

[vtsnowedin]

All asphalt starts losing light ends as. Soon as it gets laid down. Not all concrete is of poor quality.

If you got frost jacking up paver blocks it'll also jack up asphalt and concrete which makes for bigger holes and larger patches.

You have a poor opinion of asphalt pavement that isn't backed up by the facts.
True , asphalt cement ages and oxidises in the weather but that is a slow process that takes decades to make a difference provided the right grade of asphalt cement was used and it wasn't over heated (More then 350F) when it was mixed with the aggregate. What wears asphalt pavements most are plow blades and tire studs in winter and overloaded radial tire trucks in summer. For the plow and stud wear the best defense is hard sound stones in the mix that stand up to the punishment and for summer rutting the right combination of aggregates, sand and durable stone and the right amount of the right AC compacted to the right density gives a pavement that can withstand the forces on it when at 120 degree summer temps.
I have seen pavement placed on a busy interstate highway serve for more then thirty years with nothing more then a crackseal job in all that time. A section of pavers built accross that same piece of road wouldn't last a year. The difference is the flexible strength of the asphalt and the low number of joints that can let water down into the sub base. The asphalt tends to get a crack every fifty feet or so while the paver blocks are nothing but joints. A hundred to one difference.

 

[Egon]

Ever take into consideration all the base work that goes into an interstate highway and that on a private drive?

Aggregate is usually what's available locally. The granular portion is a well graded mix to give maximum density. Asphalt types will vary to suit local conditions. Remember lay down temperatures!

Interstate asphalt is designed for and layed to suit the local conditions and gets lot's of checking to ensure it meets specification. Private driveways usually do not have that level Of correctness applied to it's mixing and installation.

When I lived in Alberta we had a paver block driveway. Can't recall the square footage but there were forty pallets involved in it. No problems with frost or catching the ege of the loader bucket when clearing snow.

Many years ago I had the dubious pleasure of looking after a paving crew that had to keep a 400 ton/hour asphalt plant running to capacity. Also had the benefit of looking after a crew pouring concrete road surfaces and curb and sidewalk.

That's all many years in the past and what I base my comments on.