Expert Driveway Paving Contractors in Wausau, WI

Yes. This can be done if the concrete has not deteriorated too much, but there is a caution. Concrete has expansion joints and when the concrete 'moves,' it will reflect up through the asphalt and crack. The alternative is to excavate the entire concrete drive and rebuild an asphalt drive from the base up.

Color aside, we believe that this is primarily a question of personal taste, but there are two primary differences. Asphalt is a flexible surface that has the ability to flex with use and slight movements of the base. Concrete relies on its own internal strength to absorb loads and bridge weaknesses in the sub-base. Concrete costs significantly more than an asphalt surface of comparable strength.

This is generally a function of the amount of sunlight and traffic that an area gets. As a rule of thumb, a surface should not need seal coating more than three or four years. Once a driveway has been seal coated too many times, it becomes very smooth and slick when it rains.

The edges or 'shoulders' of your drive are one of the most vulnerable areas of the drive. If you put a lot of weight on the edge (say by driving your car or lawn mower right to the edge), there is the possibility that the edge will crack or break off if it is not properly supported. We try to help the situation by creating a 'beveled edge' on the side of the drive with a 45-degree angle to diffuse the pressure. You can help by installing seeded topsoil against the finished height of the asphalt once the job is completed.

Much like the repair of rot in a piece of wood on your house exterior, it is significantly cheaper to repair deteriorated areas before they start to spread than to wait and rehabilitate the entire drive. Typically, a dollar spent on repairs in the first half of a driveway's life will cost $4 to $5 to repair at a later date.