Concrete vs. Asphalt Parking Lot: Which one is best for you?
If you’re refreshing your commercial property with a new parking lot or building a new home, it’s important that you select the proper material to pave the parking lot. For commercial or residential parking lot paving, you typically have two options to select from – concrete or asphalt. What is the difference between them?
They are similar yet have a few key points making them different. Those include design and aesthetics; weather and climate; as well as durability.
Design and Aesthetic
When it pertains to the parking lot that appears pleasing to the eye, pavement material might be a major consideration. Selecting concrete parking lots will permit many options like a tint, stain, stamped, and many alternative hues and colors. Asphalt, on the other hand, comes with blacktop, usually with limited dark colors. A dark shade of asphalt might offer a nice contrast against a white commercial building.
Climate and Weather
When selecting between concrete versus asphalt, you may consider your area’s climate factors. Those factors might assist you in choosing the proper material for your commercial parking lot. In the freezing winter, a concrete parking lot might crack because of consistent thawing and freezing. On the flip side, during scorching summers, an asphalt parking lot will soften and become oily because of extreme heat.
If you reside in a hot area concrete is suggested, and for cooler areas, asphalt pavements are the preferred option.
Durability
Both concrete and asphalt create attractive and durable parking lots, yet both have their limitations. Concrete is able to spread the load over a massive area, which makes it more durable and able to last for 30 to 40 or even as long as 50 years.
Asphalt is not able to spread the load, creating pressure on a certain area which degrades the subbase’s quality. It makes asphalt less durable and causes early parking lot repair and maintenance. For more information on our commercial asphalt paving services in Chattanooga, TN, please feel free to get in touch with our team at Kissner Paving today at (706) 956-5296.