Welcome to my concrete blog. My name is Helen, and I hate stumbling over old and broken concrete. It makes a home, business or even a whole neighborhood look old and unkempt. To make the world a more beautiful place, I have decided to create this blog. In it, I plan to post everything I have learned about concrete over the years. I plan to include everything from maintenance schedules to upkeep tips to simple repairs to financial risks of broken concrete. If you have a patch of concrete anywhere on your property, I hope you enjoy the information in this blog and learn something new from it.
When choosing a material for paving, whether that's a driveway at home, a commercial parking lot, or a city street, you typically need to decide between concrete or asphalt. Both materials have their advantages, but note why asphalt is a very popular choice and why it may be the right decision for you.
1. Asphalt Is Softer
During very cold weather, brittle concrete may tend to crack or chip. This is why many city streets have potholes and cracks every spring, as the cold has caused the concrete to break during wintertime. On softer surfaces, the ground may tend to shift underneath the pavement and in turn, concrete can crack and break.
Because asphalt is softer, it holds up better in these situations. Cold weather won't cause it to crack and if the ground shifts, the asphalt tends to shift with it. This means fewer repairs are needed in extremely cold areas and asphalt may be a better choice for tropical areas, where the ground is usually more moist and softer.
2. Asphalt Provides Better Traction
The slightly bumpy texture of asphalt actually offers better traction for drivers, so that you may see fewer accidents and collisions on city roadways and in a commercial parking lot when you choose asphalt. If you are pouring a surface in an area where you see snowy and icy conditions, asphalt can be the safer choice.
3. Asphalt Sets More Quickly
Because of how its applied and spread, asphalt doesn't need time to cure and set before it can be driven on, making it a good choice for city roads and commercial parking lots. Very often repaving with concrete means interrupting the flow of traffic and in some cases, utility usage for days as the concrete needs to dry and set after being poured. Asphalt however is typically ready to be used the next day, if not even the same day it's poured.
4. Asphalt Is Much Cheaper
When paving a small area such as a driveway at home, you may not be too concerned about price. However, when you're paving a large parking lot or city roads, you need to be very concerned about your budget. Asphalt is known for being much more affordable than concrete, not just because the materials are cheaper but because it often takes less time and manpower to pour. In turn, you may pay less to a contractor (such as Melbourne Asphalt Contractors) overall in order to get your job done. Even for a homeowner, the lower price can mean being able to afford to have your walkways repaved at the same time as you driveway with the lower cost of asphalt.
Share9 March 2015
