Residential Asphalt Companies Nashville
Why Full-Depth Asphalt Is the Best Choice for Lengthy Driveways
When getting your driveway paved by high-quality residential asphalt companies, you have many different options from which to choose. For example, you need to choose the best asphalt depth for your driveway, a factor that can be hard to figure out if your driveway is very long. A large number of people struggle with this task because of the complexity of the minute differences.
If you’re struggling to choose the best depth for your asphalt, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Mid-State Paving & Sealcoating to get the help that you need. Spoiler: we typically suggest full-depth asphalt for people who have very long driveways. There are a few reasons for this choice, each of which we’ll outline below to help you better understand your options.
The Challenges of Long Driveways
Far be it from us to downplay the effectiveness of asphalt coating, but not even this protection is 100% effective. Over time, long driveways can develop a variety of challenging issues, including but not limited to:
- Maintenance Difficulties – An incredibly long driveway makes maintenance and repair very hard and could cause the paving material to wear down over time.
- Subgrade Construction Difference – The subgrade underneath of your driveway needs to adapt to the type of soil underneath it, and with long driveways, this subgrade is likely to be very different along its full length.
- Water Runoff – Long driveways need a slight arch that lets water roll off of their edges. Maintaining this grade over a long distance can be a major challenge and requires a lot of careful consideration.
All of these considerations make paving a long driveway a real challenge. For example, you may end up noticing wear and tear along the length of the driveway long before you should. Even worse, cracks, potholes, and other issues may also pop up from time to time. Thankfully, full-depth asphalt can help provide you with the strong driveway that you need.
The Nature and Benefits of Full-Depth Asphalt
Full-depth asphalt is exactly what its name suggests. Instead of asphalt being only part of the driveway, every section of a full-depth asphalt driveway — from the subgrade to the very top of the driveway — is made out of paving asphalt. The benefits of this approach are huge and include a multitude of protective measures, such as the way full-depth driveways:
- Prevent Water Absorption – Water is one of the biggest devastators of otherwise high-quality asphalt driveways. This problem is particularly noticeable on long driveways, and when water soaks into the surface, it may expand and contract and cause damage. Thankfully, this problem is almost not a concern with full-depth asphalt driveways.
- Increased Strength and Durability – Beyond its water-protective nature, full-depth asphalt also provides a stronger and more reliable surface structure than other types of pavement. Unlike other types of asphalt, which may shift and crack, full-depth asphalt driveways remain a very durable and long-lasting part of a home, often for years at a time.
- Increased Soil Stabilization – When soil shifts beneath an asphalt driveway, various types of damage are likely to occur. However, full-depth asphalt increases the stability of the pavement and ensures that homeowners don’t suffer from damage to their otherwise strong driveway.
All of these benefits make full-depth asphalt paving one of the best choices for your home, especially for that long driveway. However, there are a few downsides to consider when installing this type of pavement. Although we believe that full-depth asphalt is still your best choice, we would be doing a disservice by not letting you understand some of the few issues with full-depth asphalt paving.
The Downsides of Full-Depth Asphalt
Now that you fully understand why full-depth asphalt is a good choice for your long driveway, you need to understand a few problems that may turn you off from it. Thankfully, none of these issues is severe enough to make full-depth asphalt a bad choice. However, they could concern many property owners and should be fully understood before purchasing this type of asphalt:
- High Price – Homeowners who want a full-depth asphalt driveway need to be prepared to pay good money. These driveways typically cost a lot more than other asphalt depths, though the ultimate benefits of a decades-long life typically counterbalance that concern.
- Need of an Aggregate Base – Even though the full-depth asphalt driveway will be entirely asphalt, most paving experts will recommend adding an aggregate base. This process adds a little time and money to the process and maybe frustrating for many people.
- Lengthy Installation Process – Due to the uniquely focused nature of full-depth asphalt paving, there is a good chance that it may take longer to install than other types of driveways. However, when your driveway still looks and drives great 10-20 years after installation, you’ll know it was worth it.
These minor issues should be fully considered before installing a full-depth asphalt driveway for your home. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do about them — particularly the high price — so you may just need to be ready to invest. However, we truly believe that this type of driveway is worth it. In fact, this is the type of driveway that we install for our homes most of the time.
The Best Company to Work With for This Job
The many benefits of full-depth asphalt make it a great choice for just about every type of home construction project. In particular, we think that they work great for people who live in the country and who want a strong driveway that they’ll rarely, if ever, have to upgrade. And when choosing between the various residential asphalt companies in your area, don’t neglect to check us out.
At Mid-State Paving & Sealcoating, we provide one of the most comprehensive, accurate, and high-quality paving installations you can find near you. Our experts have years of experience working with asphalt paving and understand how to make it look great. Just as importantly, we can provide maintenance and repair techniques to improve the appearance of your driveway.