Tarmac, Resin or Block Paving For a Driveway? 

Giving your driveway a new lease on life is a big investment. Naturally, you’ll want to pick the right material for the job. Generally speaking if you are using a quality driveway company then no matter what you choose, it will enhance your property and add value.

Generally speaking, there are three different materials most people use – tarmac, resin and block paving.

So, which is best? Is there a perfect option? It’s tricky to answer, and truthfully it depends a lot on your situation.

However, a solid understanding of the three options will help a lot. So, with that in mind, let’s take a quick look at them.

Tarmac Paving

The first option to look at is the tarmac paving. This surface is one of the most common. It’s pretty heavy-duty, so it’s more universal.

Tarmac is rated for heavy usage. If you’ve got a driveway shared by a lot of people, this is your best bet.

As a surface, tarmac is flat, and offers good grip in a lot of weather types. It is made of tar and broken stone, hence the dark colouring.

The benefits of tarmac are many. For example, it’s tough. It’ll last you a long time because it’s built to last.

Tarmac is also fast curing, so it’s good to go quickly. You can use it for paths and driveways too – it’s flexible.

This flexibility also lends itself well to playing with other surface types. You can mix this with block paving surfaces if you want!

This surface is good for vehicles and transport options because it’s flat. Furthermore, it‘s cheap and easy to use, so you’re in luck.

Resin Paving

The second type of paving material that we are going to be looking at is resin paving. This is a single layer of material that is mixed using bespoke resin, and then compacted down into paving using hand tools.

It’s good for both pedestrians and vehicles, because it’s durable, environmentally friendly, and tough. Furthermore, because it’s highly permeable, water drains back into the water table on a natural basis.

As a product, it can be made of many different materials, mostly different recycled options, such as natural gravel, crushed rock, marbles, even in forms of glass. You can get plenty of different colours and patterns, which means that it has almost universal appeal.

The end result is a material which is exceptionally tough, built to last, and something that will thrive in both an indoor and outdoor space. It’s quite low maintenance, but it can be very expensive. Finally, resin bound paving is exceptionally resistant to temperature changes, so it can deal with both heat and cold effectively.

Block Paving

Last but by no means least on the list is block paving. Block paving has become quite popular in recent times, owing to the fact that it provides a well rounded design and also offers value for money.

Block paving can be applied to a wide variety of different situations, like for example driveways, pathways, and even patios. You can seal block paving in order to protect the surface, which adds to the durability of the product.

This kind of paving is incredibly durable, and also quite attractive. It comes in a broad range of styles, textures, and colours. Because of this, you can use it pretty much anywhere, and it provides a very smooth finish. However, it does have its disadvantages.

Generally speaking, block paving requires quite a bit of maintenance, and is prone to plant life growing through it, meaning that you will need to put some effort into keeping it looking nice.

Which is Best?

So, what kind of offering is the best one when it comes to picking the ideal pavement and driveway options for your situation?

Truthfully, it’s got a lot to do with the situation you’re in. You might find that spending a large amount of money isn’t for you, so something like resin wouldn’t be an acceptable choice. Alternatively, you might have plenty of money to spare, so you may experiment with different types of paving to find what’s going to work best for your specific needs.

Choosing the right kind of option is pretty straightforward once you take a look at all the offerings. There are a lot of choices to pick from, and they have all been designed to be effective, so it’s really up to you to pick and choose what will work best for you under the circumstances.

You will need to select an option which is going to be suitable for the weather conditions that you will experience on a regular basis. If you live in an environment which is wet and humid, then the paving that you select must be suitable for both hot and cold conditions.

So many people make the constant mistake of not choosing the correct paving for their driveway. This often results in a poorly designed driveway which will require work to maintain and replace after a short period. For the best results, you must consider the type of situations that your driveway is likely to encounter.

This can definitely take time, and in our expert opinion, there is no one paving type which is universally the best. It will depend quite heavily upon the situations you encounter, so it is necessary to study and put together a broad range of different scenarios to test each paving.

Final Thoughts

Picking the right kind of driveway is tough. You have to consider all the options because there’s a lot of them.

Ultimately, you’ll find the best results through careful experimentation. Making sure that you take the time to look at what’s on offer is a good idea, and so is checking out all of the options.

You’ve definitely got a lot of options, so you should really look at everything that’s available. If you do that, then you are pretty likely to get the ideal results, which is exactly what you will want.

The best paving choice is entirely based on experimentation, so don’t hesitate to experiment. You will find that there are plenty of different options available to you.

If you are thinking of updating your driveway in Stoke, Alsager or Staffordshire, here at Designer Drives, we have the expertise to build you the best driveways in the area.