Paving your driveway for durability

An asphalt driveway can last more than 20 years—provided the job is done according to best practices. That’s why it’s important to choose your contractor carefully and keep a close eye on the work as it proceeds. Read on for advice on how to do just that.

Besides weather conditions and contractor techniques, the durability of new asphalt paving or a repair jobdepends on several factors, which we’ve outlined below.

A solid foundation for the asphalt coating

Before you hire a contractor to repave your new home’s asphalt driveway, it’s essential that you arm yourself with some basic knowledge to ensure the job is done properly. The first thing to know is that insufficient compacting and insufficient foundation thickness are the two main causes of deformation or cracking in a layer of asphalt. In the case of a new driveway, it must first be excavated and filled with a layer of gravel of sufficient thickness. A geotextile membrane should go underneath this granular base if the ground is particularly loamy (containing a lot of clay). If you’ve bought a newly built home, it’s best to wait between 6 and 12 months before paving the driveway, to allow the soil to settle naturally. For a driveway repair job, simple overlaying (i.e., replacing the top “course”, or layer, of asphalt) may be a viable solution if the contractor determines that the existing foundation is sound. Whether a new foundation is dug or the original is reused, the term of the warranty must be the same…

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