If you are in need of installing a new surface in Central Texas, you have a lot of factors to consider. Your options vary depending on the size of the surface you’re looking to install, your budget, whether you’re doing it as an individual or for a business, as well as the length of time you have to get it done. One of the very first things you’ll have to decide is the material you’ll use, and for that you have two basic options: concrete or asphalt.
To make your decision-making a little easier, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of choosing to use concrete for your new surface project.
The Pros of Using Concrete for Your Surface Project
Concrete is more customizable than asphalt
If you choose asphalt for your surface, you understand that your surface will always be dark. Concrete, on the other hand, offers a lot of variation in terms of different stain and finish options. It makes concrete a great choice for those in the market for a fully-integrated aesthetic design.
Concrete features neater edges than asphalt
In addition to being color customizable, concrete has another aesthetic advantage to asphalt in that its edges typically appear much neater and more uniform. Asphalt’s buoyant flexibility means you won’t have as a tidy of an appearance as you would with concrete.
Concrete is better for warm climates than asphalt
If you’ve been in Central Texas for any length of time, you don’t need a concrete company to tell you just how extreme the heat can get. While asphalt has a tendency to swell and warp in extreme heat, concrete has no problem retaining its shape through the sweltering heat of summer.
Concrete lasts longer than asphalt
Typically, concrete has a longer lifespan and requires less maintenance than asphalt. And unlike asphalt, which needs regular sealcoating to extend its life and maintain its appearance, a concrete surface doesn’t need to be sealcoated as often to maintain it. Contractors Asphalt has been the go-to concrete company in Austin and Central Texas for decades, give us a call today.
The Cons of Using Concrete for Your Surface Project
Concrete takes longer to cure than asphalt
Unlike asphalt, which you can use almost immediately upon your project’s completion, concrete needs more time to cure. To be on the safe side, you typically wait at least a week before driving on a new concrete surface.
Concrete is more costly than asphalt
Concrete’s longer lifespan comes at a cost. Simply put, it’s more expensive to install a concrete surface than an asphalt surface. If your primary consideration is your short-term budget, asphalt might be the better option.
Concrete stains more easily than asphalt
Asphalt’s flexible, dark surface means that oil and fluid leakages from vehicles tend to be fairly well concealed. Concrete, unfortunately, is likely to make stains a lot more obvious than its asphalt counterpart.
Concrete can’t be resurfaced
Resurfacing is a cheaper repair alternative over installing an altogether new surface. However it’s an option that’s only available for asphalt. If your concrete surface is devolved to the point of needing to be replaced, an entirely new surface is likely your only option.
If you’re ready to install a new concrete surface in your home or business, give us a call today! With over 75 years of combined experience under our belts, our team of experienced Austin, Texas concrete contractors will provide you with a free, comprehensive estimate. We also create a surface plan that’s well aligned with your aesthetic needs, budget and timeline.