A driveway is an essential part of a house and if your house driveway is looking worn out, there are many options to replace it with. You need to look at the curb appeal of the material and its durability. Concrete is a material that will provide both of these benefits.
You will be able to use different designs, colors and textures with concrete. There are companies that specialize in concrete driveway replacement. You can look at some of the previous work they have don’t to get a good idea of the quality of service and the different options they can provide you with. Durability is one of the main reasons that people choose concrete for their driveway and it can be quite affordable as well. The initial investment is quite low and this can help homeowners save some cash. But you have to look at the maintenance cost in the long term as well. This can be quite high. The binder that holds the aggregates in the concrete together can crack or warp when it is exposed to water, UV rays and oxygen over time and you can see small cracks here and there on the driveway. You may be able to install asphalt or gravel driveway for a cheaper cost than concrete but concrete will last a lot longer and you will not need to replace the driveway often.
You need to make sure you carry out the right maintenance so that the concrete driveway doesn’t get damaged. With proper maintenance, the driveway can last for several decades. But you have to be careful about the installation as well. If the installation is done correctly by a reputed and skilled company, you have nothing to worry about. The quality of the concrete used will depend on the type of contractor you choose so you have to be careful about the screening process in the beginning. While routine maintenance has to be done, it can be quite easy to carry out these maintenance procedures. You have to clean it with pressurized water and a hard bristled brush. You can also add a clear sealer to create a layer of protection over the driveway surface. You can apply a sealer once a year. Generally, if you are in a country that experiences seasons, it is best to do the sealing in autumn so that the driveway is protected during the winter.
You will see that there are some evaporative oils that come out of asphalt driveways that can get into the soles of your shoes as well. You will not face this issue with concrete driveways. Having an asphalt driveway can be a benefit in the winter as it will absorb heat and the driveway will not be slippery. But this property will make the driveway very hot during the summer months. However, you will not run into this problem with concrete as it doesn’t absorb a lot of heat from the sun.
Concrete can withstand more loads than asphalt as well because it is a rigid material. It can handle heavy vehicles and equipment and there will be no deformation of the material.
