The Difference Between Asphalt And Concrete

Replacing your driveway has serious benefits, including increasing the value of your home, but it’s important to research the pros and cons of desired materials so you get the best of your driveway. Homeowners want a beautiful driveway that also works great, but when deciding between materials there are a variety of other factors to take into consideration. When choosing between an asphalt and concrete driveway, homeowners will want to consider:

• cost
• aesthetics
• climate
• life expectancy
• maintenance and care
• use

Researching these factors will better prepare you for long-term costs and uses associated with your driveway – and, choosing the wrong driveway for your area could mean thousands of dollars down the drainage ditch.

We believe that asphalt makes sense for most homeowners in the upper Minnesota and Wisconsin areas and are happy to provide a free no-obligation quote on installation or replacement services. We even have trusted partners in the concrete driveway business that we can recommend to you as well.

To set up a free consultation please call or fill out our contact form. 

Aesthetics

Asphalt is black and will fade to gray after the first few years. The darker color helps hide any spills left behind from cars and normal use. Concrete is normally light gray but can be stained or dyed almost any color. The cost to add color to concrete is quite a markup and most people chose to stain or stamp concrete sidewalks, patios, or other small projects as opposed to complete driveways. 

Climate Conditions

Climate may be one of the biggest factors to consider when deciding between the two. Concrete dominates the southern climates and asphalt dominates the northern climates. Here’s Why.

Concrete thrives in warmer, temperate climates where frost and freezing are not common. On the flip side, concrete can buckle, heave or crack in the coldest winters. Plus, the salt used to melt ice can pit, stain, or blotch concrete, leaving ugly marks. And it takes snow and ice longer to melt on concrete than asphalt. With concrete, repairs are more difficult, costly, and usually unsightly. 

Asphalt by nature is designed to be more flexible to handle our frigid winters and when it does crack the repairs are easy even for the DIY homeowner. Asphalt is more susceptible to continuously hot climates like Florida. The sun will reheat the surface allowing it to scuff or mark by tires and other pressure points easier than concrete.

Life Expectancy

In general, if installed properly in the correct climate with regular maintenance, your concrete driveway can last 30 to 40 years, while an asphalt driveway can last for 25 to 30 years. Improper installation without a solid gravel base or proper maintenance can result in either type of driveway failing within a few years.

Maintenance and Care

Both driveway types need minor yearly maintenance. The most important maintenance is crack filling. The goal is to seal out moisture and debris from entering the crack and the substrate making the crack bigger. Sealing the surface may also be needed if your driveway is exposed to numerous gas or oil spills from cars. 

Repairing cracks on asphalt is a much easier process where concrete can significantly heave and make large uneven cracks that may take costly professional expertise. 

Cost

Generally, a concrete driveway costs around 45 to 50 percent more than an asphalt driveway. According to our local knowledge, the average price of a concrete driveway per square foot is between 8 and 12 dollars.  For a new asphalt driveway, you can expect to pay between 4 and 6 dollars per sq ft. These are general rules and prices can fluctuate drastically depending on where you live, the complexity of the job, and the size of the driveway.

Use

We like to recommend concrete over asphalt in certain situations. 

If you have an RV or camper that you will park at your home on a regular basis or you will use a portion of your driveway where you are frequently working on vehicles with the use of a car jack then you may like to have concrete pads installed for those situations. Typically this would be a pad alongside or directly in front of your garage. Then if you have a larger driveway you can still use asphalt for the remaining portion of the driveway. Alternatively, you opt-in for a driveway extension to accommodate larger vehicles.

Get A Free Estimate

We work directly with homeowners to provide the best driveway for their budget and goals. While we suggest asphalt for most situations and homes in northern climates, we also work closely with local concrete companies to ensure homeowners have options. We’ll gladly provide a free cost estimate to anyone interested in asphalt installation or replacement services in St. Paul, Western Wisconsin, and surrounding areas.