Why Asphalt Is The Top Choice For Most Property Owners

Whenever construction related topics are discussed, the use of asphalt VS concrete always creates a bit of controversy. This is especially true when the discussion focuses on paving. Even the word paving these days is used to describe mostly asphalt. But the truth is pavement is any material used to created roads or driveways. The most common modern paving methods however are asphalt and concrete.

Both asphalt and concrete have a long history in the building industry because of the variety of ways the materials can be used. However, in regard to paving parking lots and driveways the biggest argument has mainly been about initial cost.

Now comes the inevitable question, “Which is the better material for parking lot and driveway surfaces?” The answer may surprise nearly everyone. And if you are a property or business owner, the results documented by industry experts as well as scientific studies are quite revealing.
According to Wikipedia, Discovery.com and Industry Sources, here are the latest findings.

We’ll start with Concrete Paving:

The Complete details about Concrete Paving:
• - Concrete is more prone to cracking and buckling because it’s rigid and dense design. Tree Roots, Ground Movements, Freeze Thaw Cycles and soil movement are huge contributors to concretes deterioration.
• - According to the Ohio Highway Commission, concrete costs of $70 to $100 per cubic yard were more than double the costs of asphalt paving. All Ohio highway paving is now done with asphalt.
• - Concrete paving of parking lot and driveway surfaces requires more time and initial cost than asphalt paving. This hold especially true the larger a project gets.
• - Repairs to concrete paving surfaces are more costly to repair than asphalt. They also don’t blend as well as paving does. Especially after asphalt gets freshly seal coated.
• + Concrete paving last far longer than asphalt paving surfaces.
• + Concrete paving maintenance cost over time, is far less expensive than asphalt paving.
• + Concrete paving requires far less on-going maintenance to keep its strength.

The complete details about Asphalt Paving :

• - Asphalt requires continual maintenance including seal coating, striping, crack filling, and many other forgotten costs when deciding what type of pavement to install.
• + Asphalt Paving offers more flexibility giving a light advantage over concrete in terms of handling stress and cracking.
• -+ Asphalt is the easiest to use and most economical pothole repair product available. It can be applied as a cold patch, hot patch, and become a permanent solution for repairing potholes in a shorter amount of time than concrete and other more costly hybrid mixtures. Keep in mind that potholes are far less likely in concrete.
• + In addition to pothole repair, asphalt is used to repair parking lots, driveways, and roadways on a larger scale. The preparation for paving with asphalt is relatively easy, depending on the condition of the surface being covered. Asphalt paving can be done directly over the present pavement in many cases.
• + Asphalt is very strong, durable and weather resistant in addition to being resistant to damaging effects from chemicals
• - Only when the maintenance schedules are kept up.
• + Asphalt sets faster than concrete giving it a strong advantage in both cost and convenience for parking lot and driveway paving.
In summary,

Asphalt: An environmentally friendly and recyclable paving product that provides many benefits for driveway, road, and parking lot paving applications. With its upfront cost savings, it is by far the more popular choice for parking lot and driveway paving construction. However, those upfront savings are quickly lost with in the first 5 years of installation through ongoing and costly parking lot construction projects.

Concrete: Also highly green in its recyclable qualities. Concrete paving is a long lasting, low maintenance cost product which looks great over time. Although typically more difficult and slightly costlier to repair, when that time comes. Over time the cost to maintain a concrete pavement surface is much lower. Over the life span of 20–30 years there will be even a larger saving on concrete constructed projects VS its asphalt counterpart.

By: Scott Flores

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A Note From The Author: Scott Flores is the owner of Empire Parking Lot Services. For over 20 years he has been serving the Southern California area for parking lot maintenance and construction needs. These services include asphalt paving, concrete paving, sealcoating services and parking lot striping. Scott can be reached via toll free phone 877-760-2757 or at [url=http://www.empirepls.com]Empire Parking Lot Services[/url]