Choosing a Driveway Surface

Before hiring a professional for driveway installation, it is important to consider which type of surface is right for you. The surface material of your driveway should line up with the character of your home and its surrounding landscape. It should also be able to withstand road salt, snowplows and road salt and fluids (which often leak from cars).

• Standard Concrete: Although low-maintenance and easy to plow, it does break down over time if exposed to road salt and will stain.

• Pavers Concrete: These easy to install cast-concrete units come in interlocking shapes, in a range of colors. One plus is that when a paver breaks, it can be replaced on its own as opposed to tearing up the whole driveway.

• Pavers Brick: Although susceptible to weather damage, hard-fired brisk can handle traffic and is nice looking.

• Stamped Asphalt: Imitates brick (wire templates are placed into fresh asphalt to mimic the texture) but can become deformed due to pressure or heat.

• Cobblestone: Gives your house a cottagey-feel. Beware: snow-clearing is difficult and plants often crop up between the stones.

• Colored Asphalt: Pigment (which must be reapplied every 2-4 years) is dissolved in an asphalt-based sealer.

• Plain Asphalt: An aggregate and asphalt mixture over a base of gravel. Straight-looking edges are difficult to come by and it must be regularly sealed with asphalt emulsion so it doesn’t get brittle.

• Chip Seal: Has more texture and color than plain asphalt because gravel is rolled into a tacky top layer of asphalt emulsion. Warning: stones may loosen with plowing.

• Gravel Stones: Although easier on tires, it does require a border (to hold it in place) and a fabric ground cover (to prevent plants from growing through).

• Crushed Stone: This low-cost, rustic-looking material (often sandstone, shale or granite although it varies) is hard to shovel or plow. Another downside is that potholes form easily.

• Stamped Concrete: Typically stained or pigmented, the look is created when wire mats are pressed into wed concrete to imitate brick, cobblestone or slate.

• Acid-Stained Concrete: Colors fade over time, but this is a great way to give the appearance of stone without paying for it.

• Exposed Aggregate: The surface of concrete is washed to show off the color and texture of the aggregate beneath. Use an acrylic sealer to protect against snow damage.

At 3rd Avenue Window Supply, we hope this helps with your driveway installation!