Creating the Best Road Base for Your Asphalt Driveway
Improving your driveway might be as important as improving the interior of your home. Keep in mind that this is the first thing that you or your visitor will notice when going to your house. Installing an asphalt driveway is not as simple and there are other things that you should consider first, like the driveway base material that you will use and how you will install the driveway. With that, here are some tips to create the best base for an asphalt driveway.
Preparation
Preparation is the first thing to do when you are installing an asphalt driveway. This is where you excavate the subgrade so you can get rid of the inappropriate materials like topsoil and certain organic materials.
Also, it is important that the soil below the driveway is in a great state so you can lessen the possibility of issues in drainage, cracking, etc. Lastly, make sure that the sub-grade matches your driveway layout. Once it’s done and the soil is already compact, you can now install the base.
Materials of Your Driveway Base
The secret to having the best asphalt driveway is by having a solid base. Using quality crushed gravel as a base to your blacktop will surely give you the perfect driveway quality that will last for a very long time. When choosing the material of your gravel base for an asphalt driveway, below are the 2 important things that you should consider.
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Base Composition
It is essential to know the conditioning of your soil in your area in order to pick the best materials for your base. The goal for this is to pick a material that will be able to drain water properly and allow soil compaction.
The materials typically vary but there are 2 materials that are widely used, which are Con-Bit and crushed gravel. Examples of crushed gravel are Granite and Limestone C-5. Con-Bit, on the other hand, is a material made of crushed asphalt and concrete that was recycled as a base material.
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Thickness
There are instances, depending on your soil, that will only need little or no base materials at all anymore. That is when your soil is sandy enough and perfectly well-drained as it can already act as the base of your driveway. Otherwise, if you have poor soil conditions, you will need to lay a new base for your blacktop.
Typically, the standard thickness of your base materials should be around 4-8 inches. If your soil is well-drained, you’ll only need 4 inches. If it’s poorly-drained, then you have to make it 8 inches. It is very important that the contractor you’ve hired know the right thickness of the base materials should be for your driveway because this is an important part of the driveway installation process.
To achieve the perfect blacktop driveway, make sure that your base material will give your blacktop the stability and strength that it needs to keep it together. From preparation up to the installation of the blacktop should not be overlooked as those are the key to a successful and quality asphalt driveway installation. Laying an asphalt driveway with the right driveway underlayment is as crucial as any of the steps in this process. This whole project is not cheap and consumes a significant amount of time, which is why you should be sure to get it done right by hiring a pro and doing the right process.
