Driveway Paving Methods

Concrete

• One of the most common paving options for driveways is poured concrete. With this paving method, the surface beneath the driveway is compacted with a mechanical compactor, and wooden forms are positioned along the edges of the driveway and staked in place. A concrete mixture is poured into the forms, leveled and finished, usually with a concrete broom. The resulting concrete slab is typically 4 inches thick for passenger car driveways. Joints are inscribed in the surface of the concrete to control the location of cracking caused by freezing, thawing and shifting of the slab.

Asphalt

• Asphalt is among the least expensive options for driveway paving; a typical driveway can be paved with asphalt for two-thirds the cost of paving the same driveway with concrete. Asphalt paving material is a mixture of an aggregate held together by a sticky, black petroleum-based binder. It is laid hot on a subsurface of gravel, and as it cools, it hardens into a surface capable of supporting the weight of vehicle traffic.

Pavers

• As an alternative to poured paving materials such as concrete and asphalt, interlocking pavers offer a more durable, if more expensive, option for driveway surfaces. Pavers are made from stone, brick or molded concrete. They are laid in an interlocking pattern on a base of compacted sand, and the joints between pavers are filled with additional sand to stabilize them and prevent shifting. Paved driveways are not subject to the cracking that plagues concrete and asphalt surfaces, and if individual pavers are damaged, they can be replaced without resurfacing the entire driveway.

Flagstone

• One of the most expensive paving options for driveways involves the use of natural flagstone. These irregularly shaped stones are extremely durable and attractive, and they are used as much for their landscaping appeal as for their practicality. The process of installing a flagstone driveway includes excavating the area to be paved, pouring a reinforced concrete subsurface, laying the flagstones and securing them with mortar in the joints between them. Because of the complexity and expense of the process, flagstone is used exclusively in high-end projects.