Rundown of 5 good materials for redoing driveway
Whether you're repaving your driveway or buil di ng one f r om scratch, selecting the right material is crucial. There are a handful of options to choose from, though, and each has its pros and cons with respect to price, durability, aesthetics and eco-friendliness.
Here's what you need t o know about the most common materials.
Concrete
Cost: $5 to $6 per square foot. Life span: 25 to 50 years.
Pros: Concrete is tops when it comes to durability and versatility. Composed of various types of stone aggregate held together by water and a lime-based binder, concrete provides a smooth, stable and secure foundation that holds up well in any climate and requires little to no maintenance, said Allison Bean, editorial director at home improvement website TheSpruce.com.
“Not only does the material readily move water, concrete also stays relatively cool when exposed to direct sunlight,” said Hunter Mac far lane, a project expert at Lowe' s, and“its simple look can be updated with paint, or it can be stamped to offer a unique appearance.”
Cons: In addition to being relatively expensive, concrete is“not the most attractive building material,” Bean said.
Eco-friendliness: Concrete is intended to be a solid surface that nothing can penetrate, including water. Large impermeable surface scan send excess rainwater into sewer systems and water ways instead of into the ground, t axing and polluting water systems. Plus, concrete consists mostly of cement, the creation of which is a large contributor to carbon dioxide emissions and volatile organic compound emissions.”
The good news: “Consumers can choose` low-carbon' concrete mixes, and they are now more readily available than ever,” said Wes Sullens, codes technical development director at the U.S. Green Building Council. You can also find a concrete supplier that uses recycled aggregate, “essentially using groundup concrete as a replacement for raw gravel in concrete,” Sullens said.
Gravel
Cost: $1 to $3 per square foot. Life span: Up to 100 years (depending on winter-weather conditions).
Pros: Gravel is a great option for the budget-conscious, especially people with longer driveways, Bean said. Another selling point: “Gravel compacts much better than plain rocks,” creating a more stable surface that sheds water easily, she said.
Cons: Most gravel driveways need to be regraded every year or two, depending on traffic, Bean said, but they tend to hold up better in warmer climes.
Eco-friendliness :“Having the second-lowest impact out of the bunch, gravel can be sourced locally and provides a porous surface for (rainwater) absorption,” said Jean-Paul LaCount, founder and editor of the Chic Ecologist, a greenliving news and information website.
Asphalt
Cost: $2 to $5 per square foot. Life span: 12 to 20 years.
Pros: Mainly composed of rock, sand and asphalt cement, asphalt has a number of attractive qualities as a driveway material. When properly installed, an asphalt driveway “will feel and act much like concrete but is much cheaper,” Bean said. Also, because asphalt is a petroleum product, similar to tar, it's flexible and less likely to crack under the elements, she said.
Cons: Though extremely durable, asphalt driveways have to be sealed every few years, and can get very hot during the summer.
Eco-friendliness :“Asphalt is probably the least environmentally friendly out of t he bunch,” LaCount said. “Consisting of oil and other petroleum byproducts combined with stone particles, I probably don't need to explain how both the drilling, processing and application of oil products are harmful to our environment.”
Paving stones
Cost: $15 to $30 per square foot. Life span: Up to 100 years.
Pros: Capable of lasting up to a century when laid
properly, paving-stone driveways “have a lot of character, making them a great option for added curb appeal,” Bean said. Made of tough granite, flagstone or other stone, pavers require little maintenance and prevent water from pooling. Live in an area with heavy snowfall? A heating system can be installed beneath the pave rs to keep snow from accumulating, said Joe Raboine, director of residential hardscapes at Belgard, a national landscape design and products provider.
Cons: Paving stones are expensive, and installing them is labor intensive, so you'll have to shell out a good chunk of cash to use this driveway material.
Eco-friendliness: Paving stones, sourced from quarries around the world, can be relatively eco-friendly. You'll want to use local stones that are harvested nearby, if possible, and ensure the provider followed environmental protections during extraction. When installing, consider using sand or small rocks between stones, rather than a cement-based filler. This will improve permeability, allowing more rainwater to soak
into the ground, rather than running off.
Brick
Cost: $5 to $10 per square foot. Life span: About 25 years.
Pros: A standard buildi ng material for driveways, clay brick easily stands up to normal usage and moderate weather, Bean said. Also, when properly installed, brick provides a noticeably smooth surface.
Cons: Brick drive ways require regular maintenance. They must be pressurewashed twice a year, Bean said, and the bricks should be resealed after each washing to prevent the clay from flaking or peeling.
Eco-friendliness: “Often confused as an environmentally friendly building material, most bricks today are made from mined clay heated in energy-intensive kilns ,” La Count said .“Bricks laid with mortar or other impervious filler will have the same runoff issues as concrete and asphalt, so gapping with sand or dirt would be a way to increase the eco-factor of this material.”