Best Types of Driveway Materials

In addition to appearance and stability, other criteria can include easy maintenance or environmental friendliness.

If maintenance caused a lot of time, you can use a driveway paver cleaner. A driveway can be surface in various ways. In addition to gravel, concrete or bricks, paving stones, flagstone or asphalt are also suitable as flooring. In most cases, only a little craftsmanship is needed to lay the respective driveway covering.

Concrete Driveway

Concrete in the DIY sense is nothing more than fine or coarse gravel mixed with cement and water. Just a few decades ago, concrete driveway was a preferred building material for driveways. Concrete also offers some flexibility in its appearance. It can be stamped or dyed to change the color, texture, or richness.

The advantages:

• easy to process;
• very cheap.

Disadvantages:

• monotonous, dreary concrete surfaces;
• relatively fast weathering;
• the floor is sealed.

Concrete driveway or even entire driveways can still be impressive if their surface is colored and embossed.

Brick Driveway

A driveway made of bricks has its very own character and is particularly distinguished by its durability and robustness. However, planning and preparation here takes a little more time.

Clinker bricks are one of the most expensive types of paving, but they leave behind their very own charm. While in the past these stones were often only available in red tones, you can now choose from a larger product range from yellowish to almost black. The only important thing is that it also fits to the house facade. After all, the overall picture should also be pleasing without exception.

Advantages of bricks driveway:

Paving clinkers have decisive advantages, especially in driveways or on terraces. Bricks are particularly hard baked and therefore more weatherproof than wood and concrete blocks. They can only absorb very little moisture, so that they are guaranteed free of frost in winter.

A further advantage is their robustness, which is of course a positive factor, especially in the vehicle sector. Important here is only the appropriate substructure for the load-bearing capacity.

Gravel Driveway

Gravel driveway area can be with light and dark gravel. Gravel is available in different colors and thus the driveway can be designed creatively.

Bulk materials are probably the easiest way to design the yard entrance. The material can be delivered loose or packed. Although it is also possible to use the above-mentioned materials without much preparatory work, it is always advisable to remove at least the topsoil beforehand. An edge stabilization is not absolutely necessary, but it is strongly recommended, as otherwise the transitions between the driveway and adjacent meadows and beds will disappear over time. For example, paving stones or lawn edge stones are suitable as path edgings, which are between 15 and 20 centimeters high and can be easily dug in, if necessary also concreted in.

Advantages:

• the materials listed are inexpensive and easy to apply
• Rainwater seeps into the ground without problems

Disadvantages:

• In autumn and winter the uneven and loosely laid flooring makes it difficult to remove leaves or snow and especially ice.
• Since the pebbles and fine quarry stones only lie loosely on top of each other, i.e. form an unbound surface, fairways and faults are inevitable.
• Honeycomb plates, which fix gravel, chippings or crushed stone permanently, provide a remedy even weeds can easily grow with loose coverings. This can be prevented with a so-called geotextile. These are non-rotting fabrics, which are laid under the bulk material and after the topsoil has been removed.

Rubber Driveway

The entrance area or the driveway significantly determines the appearance of the exterior of the house. A well-kept driveway is desirable. Therefore, the driveway or garden path should not only look beautiful after installation, but should be stable, maintenance-free and easy to maintain in the long term.

Advantages:

• Rubber driveway is maintenance-free and remains permanently beautiful with little care. It cannot crack, break or rot.
• Weeds and moss do not find any nutrients in the slabs and therefore do not grow on or between the slabs when used properly.
• To clean the rubber driveway from fine dirt particles such as dust or pollen, you simply … do nothing. Because these dirt particles are washed out by the next rain through the self-cleaning effect. Coarse dirt can be easily removed using a water hose, broom or high-pressure cleaner.

Flagstone Driveway

Paving stones and bricks give the impression of power and strength. Do-it-yourselfer who prefer a more filigree, more discreet appearance for fixing the driveway choose natural stone slabs. This fascinating building material is available in many designs and colors, such as granite or slate.

Flagstone Pavers are a cost-effective solution if you are concerned about your home’s aesthetics. This paver is multi-functional making it suitable to use in various areas around the home. These pavers are lightweight and easy to install making it a great material for DIY paving projects.

Flagstone Pavers have a smooth surface making it suitable with contemporary designs. It’s an excellent option for brightening up the look of your driveway. Natural stone slabs with unfinished edges look much more natural than those that have been cut to size.

Advantages:

• Multi-purpose pavers.
• Durable and easy to install.
• Variety of color options.
• Traditional smooth texture.
• Available in different sizes and shapes.

Asphalt Driveway

Asphalting is one of the common types of coating in the improvement of the site near the house. Asphalt is strong and durable material, smooth and aesthetically more pleasant than concrete.

Apply asphalt coating on areas that are not subject to constant heavy loads – pedestrian and access roads for cars.

Asphalt is a comparatively fast method of fastening driveway, which has clear advantages, but also some disadvantages. If a driveway is frequented particularly frequently, not only by cars but also by trucks, it is advisable to decide in favor of fastening the driveway by asphalt. In this case, however, extensive preparatory work and special machines are required.

Asphalting: Advantages

• Can drive on asphalt almost immediately.
• Easy to repair. Cracks and holes can be filled and sealed.
• Long life up to 20 years.

Asphalting: Disadvantages

• Asphalt is prone to crumbling at the edges or cracking.
• Some asphalt driveways have problems with an oily or tar-like substance rising to the surface.