Block Paving Vs. Tarmac- Which One To Choose?

People often ask as to which type of driveway is most suitable for a property. Well, there is no hard and fast rule but there are pros and cons of both block paving and tarmac. To know the difference between the two, read below...

* Advertorial feature

Tarmac

Tarmac driveways are used all through the UK as they offer a flexible and cheap solution, requiring less ongoing maintenance. They use asphalt that is used on the roads, making them well suited to support the heavy weight of vehicles. Tarmac driveways are surely an affordable alternative to block paving and it is important to hire block paving suppliers services to do the job for you.

There are a lot of factors that affect the price of the tarmac driveway like the size of the job and the difficulty level. Some factors that can affect the cost of driveway installation include cost of removing the present driveway, size of the new driveway as well as presence of any water, drainage, gas pipes, or electricity wires etc.

Benefits of tarmac

There are a lot of positive things about having a tarmac driveway. They include:

•         Tarmac is affordable
•         It is durable and has different sizes
•         There are various coloured binding agents easily available

Disadvantages:

•          Tarmac can get too hot
•          Diesel, petrol and other oil spills can decay tarmac
•         Not as appealing as other driveway choices

Block paving

On the other hand, block paving has become highly popular over the recent years and is gaining a lot of popularity in the UK. The price of block paving has been reduced because of mass production and the fact that an attractive driveway can be made, keeping in check the money involved. Perfect for patios, pathways and driveways, block paving can also be sealed to safeguard the surface. The only downside is that block paves are prone to weeds and moss and thus require maintenance.

Block paving also called as brick paving is a very commonly used decorative method of making a hard standing or pavement. The main advantage of using bricks over any other material is that the individual blocks can b easily lifted and replaced with other material if they suffer damage or get worn out.

Bricks used in such paving are made of clay or concrete and sometimes of other composite materials. The concrete styled blocks are most commonly used and are made from some porous material, while others are made from recycled materials like old building rubble or crushed glass.

Using block paving can achieve a lot of laying patterns, some of the most popular being herringbone pattern as it provides the strongest bond because of the interlocking feature it has.

Benefits of block paving include:

•         It adds value to your real estate
•         It enhances and accentuates the look of your property
•         Available in various shapes and colours
•         It can be easily designed in a variety of patterns
•         The interlocking system offers enhanced strength and value
•         It doesn’t need any costly repairs and individual bricks can be easily replaced
•         It even allows for fast and easy drainage without the need to have a separate draining system

The best part about block paving is that it looks great and has long life. Also, the maintenance required is low because of fewer weeds.

Disadvantages:

•         On the negative, blocks are harder to put
•         They are more expensive
•         More ground work is needed

Apart from the overall cost involved and maintenance, making the perfect choice is also dependent on your property type, the setting you need and individual product. As said, there is no driveway that will suit every need. Thus, it all depends on personal choice as well as the colour/surface that one prefers.

So, in all we can conclude that the factors that help in deciding the perfect material for you are the finished look and whether it will go well with the house, the installation cost and the maintenance required.

If speed and cost are the main issues for you then tarmac is nearly always the best way to go. If you are more interested in the overall look then block paving will give you more options in terms of colour and pattern.