Should You Pave Over Concrete?
It could be a fresh coat of paint on the exterior walls or landscaping in the yard. But something that looks really amazing and which can transform the aesthetic of a home is a newly paved driveway. The folk at Parking Lot Pros say that concrete paving is a popular choice among homeowners because of the huge choice when it comes to colors and styles.
A new driveway can be quite expensive,and many people soon discover that an additional expense comes in the form of the removal of the old driveway. To reduce the cost, some will consider simply paving directly over their current concrete driveway. But is this a good idea?
Is it Possible to Pave Over Concrete?
Theoretically, it is possible to lay pavers over existing concrete, and there are benefits of doing so. For starters, it saves you the mess and labor-intensive job of lifting the original driveway. Secondly, not having to lift the driveway before laying the slabs means that you will save money. Sounds like a win-win. But not so fast. It is not always a good ideal to do this, and here’s why.
If the existing driveway is in poor condition and has cracks and uneven surfaces, then laying new paving slabs directly on top would not make sense. If the ground below is not in the best shape, then the finished look of your new driveway could be affected. You might find that it is harder to get a smooth and even finish unless you level out and smooth the surface underneath.
In many instances, cracks and uneven driveways are the result of the ground settling below. Unless you deal with this issue, your new driveway could end up having the same look over time.
You also need to take the height of the driveway into consideration. If you lay directly on top of what is already there, the height of the driveway will increase,which could potentially cause issues with garage doors or even the front door (depending on whether you have any steps or not).
Get a Professional Assessment
If you are keen to lay a new driveway and want to do it yourself, you might be tempted to simply put the paving slabs on top of the existing concrete. But before you do, you need to make sure that this is an appropriate solution. It is therefore best to seek professional advice from a paving company.
The experts will do a full assessment of the existing driveway and will check for holes, chips, and cracks in the concrete. They will usually recommend that you remove the old driveway before laying paving slabs. If they think that it would be possible to lay slabs on the current driveway, they will explain the risks of doing so. If you really want to go down this route, you will be advised to repair any small cracks and chips and to ensure that the surface on which you are laying the slabs is as smooth as possible.
Conclusion
While paving over concrete is possible, it is usually not recommended as, despite the fact that it could save you the job of ripping out the old driveway, the finish is unlikely to be as good as you might expect. If there are issues such as cracks or holes in the concrete, paving over them will not fix these issues.
Furthermore, paving over what is already there may make your driveway too high and could prevent easy opening of your doors.
