Driveway Paving Process

Excavation

• Excavation is the process of preparing the prospective location of the driveway for the asphalt that will eventually be laid. If there is an old driveway there, you need to rip the material up and carry it off. Pouring over an old driveway almost guarantees buckles and cracks in the new installation. This stage is where you remove obstructions like stumps and the ground is excavated deep enough to establish a solid sub base.

Grading

• The next step in paving a driveway is to shape the area properly and lay down a foundation of 4 to 6 inches of gravel or recycled asphalt. An important step in the shaping is to create the proper pitch in the underlying material so that water drains properly once the asphalt is in place. Using heavy equipment and manpower, the pitch is established, usually either with the path slightly crowned in the middle, to deflect water to either side, or tilted to one side or the other, depending upon the owner's drainage preference.

Asphalt

• It's now time to pour the asphalt, which is accomplished using multiple trucks bringing in a conga line of hot material mixture of liquid tar and gravel. The actual pouring is done in two layers. The first layer, consisting of larger stones and providing greater strength, is referred to as the binder course. On top of that goes a smaller stone mix, called the top coat, that provides a cleaner, finished look. Once the pouring is complete, it's time to bring in the roller and finish off the job.

Compaction

• A critical step in the driveway paving process is to run a piece of heavy equipment called a vibratory drum roller over the recently poured asphalt to compact the mixture together, thus adding strength to the final product. Compacting is necessary to make sure the mixture clings together and supports the weight of vehicles passing over it every day. A haphazard compaction job can result in a greatly lessened lifespan.