Driveway paving is the construction of a paved surface for your driveway using paving material. These paving materials include gravel, asphalt, concrete, or brick, among others. These materials are strong and highly durable, and professionals highly recommend them.
This process involves the paving of a driveway using asphalt. Asphalt is a strong and durable paving material, making it one of the popular among many people. Paving your driveway using asphalt takes several steps. These steps are:
Demolishing and removing the existing surface in a driveway is the first step when installing an asphalt driveway. The contractor uses heavy machinery such as large dump trucks, front loaders, and small forklifts and bobcats to demolish and remove the existing surface. The contractor then removes the debris.
The contractor then grades the surface using automatic motor graders and laser-guided transits to ensure that the surface is gently sloping. It is necessary to minimize cracks, potholes, and heaving that form on asphalt due to poor water drainage.
In this stage, the contractor compacts the sub-base to ensure it has the required thickness and compaction level. A thick, stable, and compact sub-base is necessary to avoid asphalt damage during the winter season due to thawing and freezing and providing the required stability to support the asphalt paving.
The contractor proof rolls the surface by driving a heavy truck loaded with about 70,000 pounds row by row in this stage. Proof rolling is necessary as it helps the contractor figure out where the sub base has soft areas.
Another process in this stage is undercutting. It is the repairing of these soft areas in the sub-base by using a more robust aggregate material to replace the underlying soft soil or clay.
In this stage, the contractor adds the binder. A binder layer is a large, strong, and durable aggregate mixed with oil.
After installing the new asphalt surface’s supportive structures, the contractor adds a fresh, top layer of asphalt. Small aggregate, oil, and sand are the main components of the surface asphalt. Their combination results in a jet-black asphalt that provides a shiny and attractive surface once installed appropriately.
Since most driveways connect to existing parking lots, roadways, or parking lots, there is the need to install transitions and butt joints. They help provide a smooth transition from the old surface to the new asphalt surface.
The contractor installs butt joints in areas where the new asphalt pavement and the old concrete or asphalt meet. Butt joints ensure there is little or no noticeable difference in these surfaces. The contractor must work on the transition areas carefully as they require special attention to ensure that the water run-off and grading are appropriate.
After the contractor lays the asphalt and butt joints, he smoothens and compacts the surface using a roller truck. Smoothening and compaction ensure no small stone or aggregate bumps left on the new asphalt surface.
A brick driveway paving is a driveway that has brick as the paving material. Bricks form a strong and durable paving material. The paving of a driveway using bricks involves the following steps:
Excavation is the first stage of the brick paving process. The contractor typically excavates to a depth of 200-250 mm below the finished paving level. The contractor should excavate so that the surface is gently sloping to ensure drainage of water. After excavating, the contractor then removes debris from the paving site.
To frame the brick paving, the contractor must install edge restraints. The first step in this stage is setting up string lines that act as guides to level the curbs and edge courses.
The contractor should lay the edge course curbs and bricks using a mortar bed on a concrete foundation, hammer them gently, and check the line to ensure they are at the correct level. He then haunches the edge by applying concrete approximately halfway to the outside. It is also crucial to install any and haunch any drainage with concrete for protection at this stage.
Here, the contractor prepares the sub base and compacts it to ensure that it is level and stable enough to hold the brick paving. 100 mm is the recommended minimum thickness for the sub-base layer.
The contractor then spreads and levels coarse sand on the sub-base layer’s top to a depth of about 25-40mm. He then screeds this layer to create an even and smooth surface suitable for laying the brick paving.
The contractor then lays the bricks from one corner at the slope’s bottom. To allow compacting once they are all in place, they should be about 10-15 mm above the measured line.
The bricks get laid to produce the desired pattern, and the workers laying the bricks should not work from the screeded laying course but the already paved area.
To check for their alignment, the contractor should stretch a straight line along with the diagonal courses. The contractor then cuts the paving edges to make them fit snug to the edge courses. If required, it is necessary to fix gulley covers and recess trays in place for drainage.
The contractor spreads kiln-dried sand over the block paving surface and sweeps it into the joints. He can do this while he is still using a compactor plate to compact the paving down. Over the first few weeks after completing brick paving, the jointing sand may settle; it is advisable to top it up as necessary.
A concrete driveway paving is a driveway that has concrete as its paving material. It is a strong paving material and can last for decades.
The Process of Concrete Paving
Paving a driveway with concrete takes the following steps:
In this stage, the contractor prepares the sub base to help achieve a uniform slab thickness and avoid cracks. He also replaces the soil or clay in the soft spot areas with a more robust aggregate material like gravel or crushed rock. He then compacts the sub-layer using either vibratory compactors or rammers.
Here, the contractor selects the appropriate concrete mix that is suitable for your driveway. Most contractors use ready-mix concrete as it provides a uniform concrete mix. By using the proper concrete mix, you avoid common concrete driveway problems such as cracking.
Reinforcement is necessary to every concrete paving as it helps prevent the spreading of cracks if they do occur, especially if your driveway will be subjected to heavy traffic. The commonly used reinforcement material is steel due to its strength.
The contractor places concrete to the required thickness. The recommended minimum concrete driveway thickness is 4 inches. Edges of the concrete driveway must get an additional 1 or 2 inches of concrete to ensure they are strong enough since they mostly get subjected to heavyweight.
The contractor finishes the surface properly to ensure the surface is uniform and provides an attractive finished surface. Where the driveway requires a rough finishing, the contractor uses a broom, and for a smooth surface, he uses a steel trowel.
He then adds control joints to the concrete paving at an adequate spacing. It is a necessary stage as it helps minimize the occurrence of cracks. Besides, the contractor adds drainage at this stage.
Curing is very vital for any concrete paving and can be achieved by:
·Covering the paved surface with wet blankets or plastic sheets
·Spraying liquid membranes
·Continuous sprinkling
Gravel paving provides robust paving that can last for several decades. The gravel driveway paving process involves:
Excavating the site is an essential step in gravel paving. The contractor excavates until he reaches the sub base, and the depth can range from 50-300 mm depending on the site. Here, the contractor removes the soil or clay in the soft spot areas and replaces the area with a more robust material like gravel or crushed rock.
The contractor lays a geo textile membrane between the sub-base and the excavated ground. It ensures no contact between the sub-base material and the ground below while allowing water to pass. The membrane is essential, and the contractor should place it in areas that have poor ground conditions.
The sub-base depth is usually 100-150 mm and depends on the vehicles’ size using the driveway. The contractor lays the sub-base material, and it is mainly crushed rock. The crushed rock is of different sizes and may range from fine dust to 40mm. These different sizes ensure water permeability once the crushed rock gets compacted.
Here, the contractor lays the gravel to produce a decorative finish to the driveway. The ideal gravel size for a driveway is 20mm. Avoid using smaller sizes such as 6 or 10 millimeters as they often get stuck in car tires. Besides, it would be best if you did not use larger gravel as it is relatively difficult to walk on.
Above are the most common types of driveway paving materials. Each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. It is essential to consult with a contractor before deciding on the paving material for your driveway.
Eddie Henriquez
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