If you are building a new home or refreshing your business property with a new parking lot, it is essential to choose the right material to pave your parking lot. For residential or commercial parking lot paving, you usually have two traditional options to choose from – asphalt or concrete. What’s the difference between the two?
They’re similar but have some key points that make them different. These include aesthetics, climate, durability, maintenance and repair, cost, and restrictions.
Aesthetic and Design –
When it comes to the parking lot that looks aesthetically pleasing, pavement material may be a major consideration. Choosing a concrete parking lot will allow for many options like a stain, tint, stamped, and several alternative colors and hues. On the other hand, asphalt comes with blacktop, generally with limited dark shades. A dark color of asphalt may provide a nice contrast against white commercial buildings.
Weather and Climate –
When choosing between asphalt versus concrete, you might consider the climate factors of your local areas. These factors may help you to choose the right material for your commercial parking lot construction. In the cold winter, concrete parking lots may crack due to constant freezing and thawing. On the other hand, in the hot summers, asphalt parking lots will soften and become oily due to extreme heat.
If you live in hot regions concrete is recommended, and for colder regions, asphalt pavements are preferred.
Durability –
Both asphalt and concrete create durable and attractive parking lots, but both have their limitations. Concrete has the ability to spread the load over a large area making it more durable and last for 30-40 or even 50 years.
Asphalt does not have the ability to spread the load, which creates pressure on a specific area that degrades the quality of the subbase. This makes asphalt less durable and leads to the early parking lot maintenance and repair.
Cost –
Concrete is almost always the more expensive option than the asphalt; possibly due to more labor to pour and level concrete than asphalt. However, the installation cost for concrete is higher than that of asphalt, but the concrete parking lots usually last twice the asphalt or before the material needs to be replaced.
Longevity –
Generally, concrete parking lots last longer than asphalt. With proper installation and parking lot maintenance, your concrete lot can last for 40-50 years. While asphalt parking lots are generally good for 15-20 years and need to be an overlaid or repaved.
Maintenance and Repair –
Both asphalt and concrete parking lots get damaged over time. Concrete parking lots have long lifespans and relatively low maintenance but concrete parking lot maintenance is often difficult and expensive. Parking lot repair is easy with a team like Pavement Services.
Installation & Restrictions –
Asphalt parking lots are quicker to install and can be ready to use within 1-2 days after installation depending on climate. Whereas, concrete lots take twice or even longer to set and cure, and can it take up to a week to get ready for use.
Benefits of Choosing Asphalt Parking Lot:
- Noise Reduction – Asphalt is a quiet pavement, it can reduce up to half the noise of traffic.
- Sustainability – Asphalt is the most recyclable paving material. Asphalt can be reused again and again by melting it, which reduces the cost of your parking lot installation.
- Safety – Asphalt provides better protection against snow and skid. Parking lines and symbols are also more visible on the dark surface of the asphalt, which reduces the risk of accidents.
- Timely – Asphalt can be installed and repaired quickly and requires minimal time to set, which helps you to keep your parking lot open for business.
Benefits of Choosing Concrete Parking Lot
- Better Lightening – The light color of concrete allows it to reflect the light of the sun and street lamps. This will improve the safety of your parking lot.
- Strength – Concrete is much stronger than asphalt. Due to its durability, concrete parking lots can withstand the weight of multiple heavy vehicles
- Less Maintenance – Concrete pavement lasts significantly longer with minimal maintenance.
- Decorative – If you want to match your parking lot with your home color theme or want it to be more decorative, concrete may be a better choice.
Wrapping Up –
There is no winner in the battle between asphalt and concrete. The decision comes to which is more suitable for the climate, your budget, and your tolerance for the maintenance needs. If you are still not sure, which one will be the suits best to your home or commercial building, contact Pavement Services Corporation. We will help you to pick the right material for your parking lot.
At Pavement Services Corporation we also provide several paving services including asphalt and concrete paving, commercial asphalt paving, parking lot repair and replacement, commercial asphalt maintenance, asphalt driveway paving, sealcoating, asphalt milling, concrete dumpster pad construction, parking lot striping, concrete sidewalk paving, and lot more. If you are seeking any of these services in the Dallas-Fort Worth or Houston, Texas areas, contact your team at Pavement Services Corporation.