Over time, you may find your old concrete driveway has manifested some issues. It is cracked, broken, dirty, and likely has become uneven over time. If you have an old concrete driveway, instead of having to keep fixing it, you may be considering repaving it with asphalt. The common question in these situations lies in what to do with the old driveway. Do you need to remove the concrete before you pave a driveway with asphalt?
The answer is pretty simple. Can you lay asphalt over an old concrete driveway? Yes, you can. Should you lay asphalt over old concrete? Maybe not.
Asphalt Versus Concrete Sub-Bases
One of the key issues here is that concrete and asphalt use different sub-bases. If you need stability with a concrete driveway, you simply add a thicker slab and that leads to not worrying so much about the sub-base. In essence, instead of just worrying about the sub-base for the asphalt – a singular concern – you need to have two concerns, the questionable sub-base and the concrete itself. If there is a problem with the shifting concrete and unstable sub-base under the asphalt, it will show on the surface.
A Decrease in Longevity
When choosing an asphalt driveway over concrete, you get a number of benefits such as a lower cost, quicker installation and a better resistance to weather. However, when you choose to limit costs further by installing asphalt over concrete, you are hurting the overall longevity.
Asphalt looks best and lasts longest when it is built from a stable base. Any shifting that happens to concrete will affect the asphalt covering it. It means you will have to patch and even replace the driveway sooner than you would need to anyway.
Are you in the market for a new driveway? Whether you are considering asphalt or concrete, we can help. Contact us today to see what DC Paving & Sealcoating can do for your paved surfaces.