When you decide to have a hard surface put in for your driveway, parking lot, or walkway, you may wonder whether to get concrete or asphalt paving IL. Both substances make good, long-lasting surfaces that can stand up to plenty of cars, weather changes, and other such things. Even so, they’re not both the same. Here are some things that should be considered when making your choice:
Size of the Paved Area
Asphalt can be spread over a huge area like a parking lot without the need to put any gaps. Concrete, on the other hand, is separated into sections when used for surfaces that will be driven on. A parking lot would therefore be composed of a multitude of squares if concrete was used. This wouldn’t look as nice as a solid surface, but even worse, the sections could start to come up over time. This makes asphalt the best bet for wide areas.
Concrete is laid in sections for long, thin installations like sidewalks and roads as well, but the appearance isn’t as obtrusive in these cases. For sidewalks, concrete is often preferable because of the hard edges it presents. This often looks better than curbless asphalt, which doesn’t give as tight of an appearance.
Likelihood of Staining
This is a very important factor to consider when deciding whether or not to get asphalt paving IL. Asphalt’s black color makes it so that leaked oil, gasoline, and other automotive fluids don’t stand out very much. Concrete’s light gray color, on the other hand, ensures that the least little spill will be extremely obvious. Not only that, companies like A1 Pavement Maintenance can more easily renew the appearance of asphalt by applying sealer. While sealer may not stick to oily spots, it will do much to make an asphalt parking lot or driveway look like new.
While staining is a problem on surfaces that are used by cars, that doesn’t mean that there are no uses for concrete. Use it for walkways, exterior stairs, and other areas that are unlikely to be exposed to automotive fluids. There, its light color can be an asset.
