Concrete and asphalt are the go-to materials for paving roads, driveways, and parking lots. While arguments still surface on the viability of the two, professional contractors understand that the requirements for laying the two are not the same likewise the expectations of their performances.

Before you can pick one above the other, you must understand the merits of the two and the suitability of both for your types of projects.

And that’s what you will be getting in this post. Below are all you need to know about concrete and asphalt integrity to make the right choice for your next project. By the way, check this professional foundation repair south bend.

Lifespans

One thing most homeowners ask when faced with the choice between asphalt and concrete usage for their projects is how long will the two materials last?

Unarguably, concrete will surely last longer than asphalt. Many concrete surfaces last for 30 – 50 years while asphalt surfaces have a life expectancy of 12 – 20 years. This in itself is a wide margin.

Numerous factors contribute to the longevity of the surfaces. Because of the differences in the make-up of a particular mix, the aggregate size used, the water to cement ratio, also adding to these is the degree of compaction and the rate of curing. All these determined the strength of a concrete surface. 

The same factors apply to determining the service years of the asphalt surface. Some rocks may not bond well with the asphalt. This will result in the surfaces crumbling or breaking apart in the long run. Another factor to this is the air voids present underneath the surface, which puts the asphalt at a greater risk of crumbling under erosion. 

Cost Of Installation And Maintenance

If we are to look at the service life of a well-installed concrete surface, the high cost of installation worth every dime. Concrete surfaces cost twice as much as the asphalt surface of the same measurement. The difference in the cost is because installing concrete surfaces require adequate time and preparation. 

While fidgeting about the cost of installing a concrete surface as more pricer than that of asphalt, look beyond this and try to understand that the overall maintenance of the surface quite makes up for this. Unlike concrete, asphalt could get damaged easily and also have a lower service life, asphalt needs frequent maintenance. Seal coating asphalt against potholes, cracks, and other issues should be done every two years. Another thing to know is that concrete surfaces stains more easily than asphalt which has a black outlook to its merit that protects it against common contaminants, but asphalt surfaces should not be exposed for too long.  

Considerably, both asphalt and concrete have almost the same time for pre-installation. These include site preparation, which involves leveling the installation area and getting the same compacted while a sub-base of crushed gravel must be installed. 

But then, the differences come about in the duration of time before both can be taken to use. For asphalt, it requires 48 – 72 hours before traffic both human and vehicular should be allowed access to pass on it. While for concrete, it can take up to seven days before access can be granted for movement, this often is largely due to weather conditions.

It’s no rocket science that your surfaces will suffer from some sort of damage overtime during their service year. The nexus is how proactive you’re about repairing the damage that will determine how much effort and cost fixing the surfaces will cost you. Concrete surfaces tend to be more expensive to repair than asphalt surfaces. 

Asphalt repair involves surface patching which is best for repairing small areas of damage while spray injection and infrared heater patching make use of asphalt patching vehicles to repair bigger areas of damage.

Concrete repair also has different techniques of repair which include muting, stitching, and sealing of cracks. Spalling involves laying a new thin layer of concrete on top of the damaged old layer.

By and large, deciding on the merits of these two materials largely dependent purpose of the pavements and the number and weights of vehicles that would make use of same.