The entrance to your house, your yard or your garage is a place of daily passage that must be both functional and aesthetic. It is necessary that it is strong enough and also makes a good impression. Choosing the right flooring mainly depends on your personal requirements. Appearance, stability and many other criteria make it easier for you to decide on paving stones or concrete slabs for your driveway.
What is a driveway?
This is a lane that your vehicle should be able to drive on. Even if it means arranging it correctly, you might as well make sure that it is robust to ensure a good longevity. For a solid and durable driveway, you have the choice between pavers and a concrete slab. Of course, offers choices are available to you. The easiest solution might be to cover your driveway with gravel. This is probably the fastest option to implement and the least expensive. Otherwise you can consider paving or paving. Two terms that may seem identical when you don’t know much about it, but which are in fact two very different techniques.
What is the difference between paving and paving?
To make a very quick difference, the paving uses cobblestones which are small pieces fitted into each other which thus constitute roads that can be used for many years, even centuries: just think of the paved Roman roads which supported and support always the passage of an immensely large number of vehicles. As for paving, it is simply the laying of large slabs of material, called slabs.
What should be considered before making a driveway?
In order for a vehicle to pass along your driveway, it needs a minimum width: 3 meters is a correct width. If you can afford 4 meters wide, then go for it, it will allow all types of vehicles to use your driveway, even the largest ones.
For the rest, here are the points that may be relevant to consider:
- Earthworks: what is the original nature of your soil and what is the extent of the work to be carried out?
- The old coating: if you change the coating, what do you do with the old one?
- Water drainage: this is a subject in its own right, think about it when making your driveway.
A driveway in concrete slabs
Concrete is nothing more than fine or coarse gravel mixed with cement and water. Until a few decades ago, it was the preferred building material for driveways.
Advantages
- Solid : far from you the muddy and impracticable driveway in case of rain, with the concrete, here you are equipped with an access to your robust garage. Besides, don’t we say by tapping with the fingertips a material that we consider solid: it’s concrete!
- Available in different colors: this is not necessarily known but concrete is available in different colors. Certainly, you can choose the most classic gray color but you can stand out with an original concrete color. The concrete is directly tinted in its mass. So it is better to call a professional for this type of service.
- Easy to maintain: Your concrete driveway can last a long time if you take care of it. Give it good protection against dirt because concrete is a porous material. The karcher is a tool that will be very useful to you in the maintenance of your concrete driveway.
- Attractive price : compared to pavers, overall, concrete pavement is cheaper.
Disadvantages
- Fairly long drying time: allow at least 8 days before you can drive on it. Plan an alternative solution during the work. Because you won’t be able to use your driveway all this time.
- A surface that may seem a bit dull or monotonous: this is why you have the possibility of opting for colored concrete which has the particularity of existing in almost unlimited tones.
- Relatively rapid aging: concrete is a material that evolves. It all depends on its original composition, installation and general maintenance.
A paved driveway
Pavers can be made from different types of rock, with granite, porphyry, and basalt being the most common types. These rocks are characterized not only by their very high strength, but also by their durability.
Advantages
- Available in many materials: the cobblestones can be made of natural stone as mentioned above, in particular sandstone or limestone, but they can also be made of concrete or even of reconstituted stone.
- Ideal for personalizing your driveway: many shapes, many colors. Now is the time to unleash your creativity.
- Relatively cheap: again, it all depends on the cobblestone you choose. The most luxurious can be expensive because they are top of the range.
- Relatively easy to install: in this regard, the interlocking paving stone is more advantageous than the classic paving stone because it does not require any type of joint.
Disadvantages
- Fairly long exposure time: can only be done by hand. For best results, careful preparation is extremely important. Because the correct design and the load-bearing capacity of the floor are decisive for the stability of the entire surface.
- Blackening: interlocking pavers may darken and weeds may appear in the joint area. Be sure to maintain your paving stones by brushing them regularly.