Pavers or Tile over Asphalt Driveway?

Anybody ever laid down brick, tile, etc, over an asphalt driveway? Mine is good and solid with a few small cracks starting. No potholes yet. If I had the $$, I would tear it out and put down a brick one. Another thing about this is that the wonderful city here requires a permit for tearing out and laying down a new one.

So I'm thinking about sealing it good and then laying down pavers or tile on top. The only thing out of the ordinary would be I will need to cut off 1/2-inch or so from the bottom of the garage door. And would have to dig out some asphalt where the driveway hits the sidewalk to match the level.

Any idears, fellers?

Reply to
Guv Bob
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Check out the difference in expansion due to temp changes . I suspect that asphalt moves a lot more than tile , but that's just a hunch . Get those cracks sealed up soonest , especially if you live in frost/freeze country . Or you will have potholes soon .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

is good and solid with a few small cracks starting. No potholes yet. If I had the $$, I would tear it out and put down a brick one. Another thing a bout this is that the wonderful city here requires a permit for tearing out and laying down a new one.

on top. The only thing out of the ordinary would be I will need to cut of f 1/2-inch or so from the bottom of the garage door. And would have to di g out some asphalt where the driveway hits the sidewalk to match the level.

I've never seen tile used on a driveway. Pavers would seem to be the best choice. I don't see the need to seal the asphalt. If anything, you'd want the opposite, so water can drain through the pavers. IDK what exactly the effect would be of having an impervious surface below pavers. Could be a problem with water retention, freeze/thaw, etc.

The other problem is you need sand underneath, plus the pavers. In most applications I would think it would create height problems aligning with exisiting surface, eg garage, street, etc. And pavers or similar alternatives aren't going to be cheap. DIY you'd save the labor, but for a contracted job, those other alternatives are more expensive than asphalt.

Reply to
trader4

Hi, You can reseal the surface or common sense tells me it is a no, no for laying down paving tile/blockss on top of asphalt surface for obvious reason. Here in cold Alberta we mostly have concrete drive ways. And with the extra prep work some has paving tile drive way. All of them last very well. The trick is putting in good foundation B4 whatever you do. Excavation, filling with gravel, sand, compacting, etc. are the requirement. My concrete drive way is more than 20 years old, nothing wrong yet. I just coat the surface every couple years with clear sealer in summer time.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Mine is good and solid with a few small cracks starting. No potholes yet. If I had the $$, I would tear it out and put down a brick one. Another thing about this is that the wonderful city here requires a permit for tearing out and laying down a new one.

tile on top. The only thing out of the ordinary would be I will need to cut off 1/2-inch or so from the bottom of the garage door. And would have to dig out some asphalt where the driveway hits the sidewalk to match the level.

Reply to
Guv Bob

Obad idea:( any cracks in the asphalt with cause pavers or tile to crack. Asphalt moves a lot when freezing and thawing.

seal the driveway, or skim coat a 1 inch layer of new asphalt over your existing driveway..

Reply to
bob haller

Which is GUARANTEED to crack up and lift off within 18 months at the very most..

Reply to
clare

my neighbor was selling his home, he had his cracked driveway skim coated with a inch of finsh asphalt.....

it lasted at least 15 years thru 2 owners.

tiles and pavers would allow water to get easily into cracks.. doing real harm when freezing.

my asphalt drieway was paved way back around 1985. its showing its age, sealer helps keeps it together.

my old neighbor had a asphalt driveway installed when i was a kid, I am 57 years old.... its still their but is badly cracking tm meehan the owner got too old to maintain it and died a year or so ago...

50 years + for asphalt is a long time
Reply to
bob haller

crack. Asphalt moves a lot when freezing and thawing.

your existing driveway..

coated with a inch of finsh asphalt.....

real harm when freezing.

age, sealer helps keeps it together.

am 57 years old.... its still their but is badly cracking tm meehan the owner got too old to maintain it and died a year or so ago...

This one is 52 years old. I had it patched and sealed about 15 years ago and did a good job. Repeated again 5 years ago, but they didn't seal cracks well or use enough slurry and cracks came back quickly. Problem is the cost is so high -- new driveway costs, plus removing and disposing asphalt, city permit and increase in property taxes due to "improvement:".

My thought was to patch and seal, and then lay tile or brick on top loose. One way or another the asphalt top has got to go. In the summer it gets hot as blazes and is on the upwind side of the house.

I'm not worried about water or freeze/thaw. This is So Calif - very little rain and never gets below 40 deg F.

Reply to
Guv Bob

s good and solid with a few small cracks starting. No potholes yet. If I ha d the $$, I would tear it out and put down a brick one. Another thing about this is that the wonderful city here requires a permit for tearing out and laying down a new one. So I'm thinking about sealing it good and then layi ng down pavers or tile on top. The only thing out of the ordinary would be I will need to cut off 1/2-inch or so from the bottom of the garage door. A nd would have to dig out some asphalt where the driveway hits the sidewalk to match the level. Any idears, fellers?

You should have told us it was So CA in your original post, itwould have sa ved a lot of words. I would go for the bricks, just because that is a mor e common solution, and you might scare off some future buyers with tiles.

Reply to
hrhofmann

Around here you are taxed the same if it is a garbage asphalt driveway or a brand new one - it's asphalt.

Reply to
clare

cracked asphalt is generally a sign of base failure. so covering it up really doesnt address the real problem

Reply to
bob haller

really doesnt address the real problem

There's no problem with the asphalt. A few very small cracks in 50 years. It's level all over.

Reply to
Guv Bob

I did exactly what your asking about. I live in NC. I rented a jack hamme r and removed 3' of asphalt from the top and bottom of a 100' driveway. I pit down 3/4" of sand using 3/4" PVC pipe to get it basically level. I use d 20 pallets of pavers. I did this 25 years ago. I moved from that house

13 years again but drove by recently and it looks brand new.
Reply to
rich.burgess9217

3 feet of asphalt? I'm guessing 3".

Remove 3" then put back 3/4" plus paver? Sounds like thick pavers.

Always liked the look of pavers...

Reply to
Dan Espen

Since he said he removed 3' from the *top and bottom*, I assume he means that it was an area 3 feet long at the two ends of the driveway. Otherwise, how does one remove 3 inches from both the top and bottom of a drivway?

Reply to
trader_4

Removed the asphalt from the top and bottom 3 feet of driveway so the pavers couls be "tapered" up to the level of the drive and back down again is what I suspect was meant. Would make sense to me, even though it would leave the driveway "humped"

Reply to
clare

Good reading, the post does seem to say that. Doesn't sound like it would look right at all.

Reply to
Dan Espen

Thanks, RB! That's good to hear. I'm hoping to get to it this spring. For meThis is a "one of these daze" projects when I have all the "emergency" fix-it items done. Any chance on your taking a photo of that driveway and posting or emailing? (I grew up in NC and it's 1000 times better than Calif, believe me...)

Reply to
Guv Bob

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