If your concrete driveway is starting to look a little rough or you wish to change its appearance, you may be thinking about having an asphalt one installed. However, you may feel that the overall structure of your current driveway is good enough to simply pave asphalt over its surface.

However, even if you think installing asphalt over the concrete is an option, you should still seek out the opinion of a professional to see if the idea is feasible. When they inspect the driveway, there are a couple of things that the contractor will consider before deciding whether they can pave asphalt over your current concrete driveway.

1. Overall Condition of the Concrete and Whether Extensive Repairs Need to Be Made Before Paving with Asphalt

One thing that the contractor will consider is the overall condition of the driveway. While inspecting the existing pavement, they will determine whether extensive repairs will be needed before paving over it with asphalt.

If the surface has very little cracking or crumbling, applying asphalt may be an option. However, if the concrete has many areas where there are deep cracks or crumbling of the material, the damage will affect the lifespan of the asphalt and not provide a solid base for it. In this case, it would be better to remove the concrete and start over with fresh substrate and asphalt.

2. Existing Drainage for the Concrete Driveway and Whether Water Will Puddle after the Asphalt Is Installed

Another thing that the contractor will look at is how well your existing concrete driveway drains water. Once the new asphalt is applied, the presence or lack of drainage will affect it.

If water drains fairly well on your current driveway, they may feel that applying asphalt over the concrete would be an option. However, if the water puddles, it will continue to do so after the asphalt is installed, which will increase the risk of water damage to the new pavement.

If you would like to have asphalt installed over your existing concrete driveway, the contractor will first need to assess the overall condition of the pavement to see whether extensive repairs will need to be made. They will also need to look at how well the driveway drains water off the pavement. If you are ready to have work done to your concrete driveway, contact a contractor who offers paving services to have them inspect it to see if they can pave asphalt over it or completely install a new one.