Asphalt and Concrete Driveways Differentiated  

If you have enough of the cracks, ruts, and stains in your driveway and considering putting up a new one, then you should inform yourself about the choices that you have. Among all driveway materials, asphalt and concrete are the two most convenient and popular in different pavement services. While both can be durable and good, they remain different in terms of ingredients and adhesives used. If you need repair or new installment, New Britain asphalt paving and other professional trusted companies can do the work for you. Avoid installing new driveways on your own.   

Before you contact a professional service, we will give you what you need to know about asphalt and concrete driveways to help you choose better.  

Concrete performs poorly in extremely cold temperatures while asphalt in high heat  

Knowing the kind of climate your location helps a lot. When your place is colder, opt for asphalt; if hot, opt for concrete. Asphalt may not withstand a consistently hot climate. This is the reason why if you live in a hot place and use asphalt, you would notice your asphalt becoming sticky and gooey. Although this changes and rehardens when the weather cools down, consistent softening and hardening will eventually result in sagging and cracking. On the flipside, concrete does not favor a cold environment as it can crack, buckle, and heave especially when you do not winterize your concrete. During winter, snow plowing may include salt to melt ice and this leaves the concrete stained, pitted, and blotched. Snow also melts longer on concrete than on asphalt.  

Asphalt is not flexible while concrete provides more visual and aesthetic options  

Asphalt typically varies from black to dark gray. In contrast, concrete offers more customization, whether in shapes, sizes, or colors. You can taint concrete or stamp it to have textures. If you are looking for a visual element, choose concrete than asphalt.  

Both have disadvantages in maintenance  

Maintenance is something that both needs but take note that concrete stains easily compared to asphalt but asphalt also requires sealing every after a few years. You will need to seal the asphalt after months of installation. You will then need to resell and redo the process again and again after three to four years. This may take some costs. However, gas drips, engine oil, rust, and other stains are removed easily on an asphalt surface, unlike concrete that tends to show all of these marks. In order to remove stains from concrete, you will need to do more aggressive cleaning that also affects the quality of the material. On the flipside, concrete   

Asphalt is quicker to settle than the concrete  

After installation, you will need to wait weeks for concrete to cure before you can drive on it. In asphalt, you will just need to wait for some days after the installation in order for you to use the pavement or driveway.   

Both materials have their pros and cons. It is up to you which advantages you prefer.