What Are the Best Paving Materials for Your Driveway or Parking Lot?

Whether you’re paving a driveway or parking lot, you need a material that’s going to last. You also want it to look nice. When it comes to parking lot paving, you’re a bit limited in the choice of materials you can use, but when it comes to paving residential driveways, you have several more options.
There are numerous benefits to installing each type of material in both driveway and parking lot paving applications. This article will cover some of those options and provide information about each one.

Asphalt

A tried-and-true material that can be used successfully for both driveway and parking lot paving, asphalt is quite popular. For driveways, asphalt offers a durable and weatherable paving surface.
It can handle temperature changes better than most other materials—it’s slow to freeze, and melts snow due to its black color. Its clean, black look and resiliency make it ideal for high-traffic parking lots as well as driveways. The only drawback is that you will need to seal it every three to five years.

Concrete

Concrete is seemingly everywhere, and for good reason. This ubiquitous paving material is sturdy, versatile and able to be customized in several ways. It’s simple to install, and one of the less expensive options you’ll find.
In addition, it easily repels water and requires little maintenance. It can be used for parking lot as well as driveway paving due to how long it lasts and how cheap and easy it is to install. Its only shortcoming is its rather drab appearance, though homeowners can have it stamped or painted.

Gravel

This paving material is for the frugal. Gravel can cost as little as $1 to $3 per square foot, and it can last up to 100 years if the winters aren’t harsh where you live. If you live in a rural area with a longer driveway, gravel might be an attractive paving option.
Its crushed stone composition offers a unique, textured feel underfoot. And when you combine that with its color options (from gray to brown or red to blue), gravel can offer some tailor-made solutions that are truly one of a kind. Do keep in mind that gravel will require extensive maintenance and isn’t well suited to snowy climates.

Pavers

The previous three materials can be used for parking lot paving, but pavers may be even better for driveways. Pavers or paving stones are shaped stones that can be laid down and fit together to form a solid surface.
They come in various colors, and aesthetically they’re a prime choice for enhancing your home’s curb appeal. They’re not too bad maintenance-wise, and if they’re laid correctly, they can last for two or three decades.

Shell

This is an outside-the-box choice for your driveway. Like gravel, you can have hundreds of thousands of tiny seashells laid down as a paving surface for your driveway.

The shells are usually made from clam, oyster or scallop shells, and they’re an eco-friendly choice because they’re using what would have otherwise been seafood waste.

The shells themselves break down naturally when you step or drive on them, and they’re prominent in the driveways of coastal homes.

Call for your parking lot or driveway paving solution today

Be it driveway or parking lot paving, we at Paveco Inc. can help. Our experts offer precision paving services for residential or commercial applications, and we’ve been doing high-quality work since 1958.

Categorised in: Paving Services