Love the looks of stone but not the constant maintenance? How about tar and chip? It's virtually maintenance free. Oil and Stone - Tar and Chip - Estate Paving - Chip Seal What's the difference? Oil and stone, tar and chip and estate paving all refer to the same process. Some people just use different terminology. Tar and Chip paving is a process of installing what some contractors call hot liquid asphalt or hot tar or hot oil on a gravel or stone base, and then spreading small stones or chips on top of the hot tar then setting them into the hot oil by a self propelled roller. The finished application resembles an evenly place natural stone surface. I personally love the looks of natural stone on driveways. I think they fit in better within the countrysides of New England. At most local quarries in Connecticut and Massachusetts, you will find different variations of Grey, Tan and multi colored stones with some pinks, whites and greys mixed together. The most commonly used type of stone is a grey trap rock. Most municipalities and commercial parking lots use this color stone since it is readily available at most local rock quarries and helps make line striping more noticeable to motorists. No worries though. If grey colored stone doesn't do the trick for you, there are quite a few different native stones and some really nice decorative stones available. Beware though, some decorative stones can get a bit costly since they are usually trucked in from other states. If you are choosing an out of state decorative stone for your finish, then you may want to consider having your contractor order extra stone and having it stock piled on yours or your contractors property for future use. This way if there is a need for repairs or a refreshing in areas, it will guarantee the same style stone is available. This will save your contractor some time, which in turn will save you some money. If this paving option sounds good for your for your driveway or parking lot, know that any good Northern state tar and chip contractor should install at least two layers on top of a gravel base. States like Connecticut and Massachusetts have snow to be removed every Winter and a single layer of oil and stone will just not hold up very well to snow plows. If you live in a warmer climate and you never have a need to have snowplows on you driveway, then a single layer will do fine for a while. However, with any pavement choice, the base it lays on top of is where most of the structural integrity comes from. So make sure this is completed properly. With all of this information there is another factor to consider. Costs. There is some confusion about the cost of oil and stone. It seems that most people believe it is much cheaper then paving with traditional hot mix asphalt. It is important to understand that the costs to complete a proper tar and chip application on a gravel or stone base is just as much and sometimes even more expensive than paving a single layer of hot mix asphalt. The liquid asphalt is the binder or glue that holds asphalt and tar and chip pavements together and is the most expensive ingredient. In hot mix asphalt, only approximately 5% of the asphalt material makeup is this liquid oil, whereas with a two layer application of tar and chip, there is much more liquid binder used. Chip sealing on the other hand is applied on top of an existing pavement like asphalt or concrete and this process usually has a single layer installed and therefore is less expensive that repaving with asphalt. Chip sealing is also a great alternative to removing and replacing your asphalt. The water resistant properties of the glue in the Oil and Stone process helps stop cracks from growing by not allowing water to enter which will start to compromise the base and go through the freeze thaw cycles causing the cracks to grow. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this. Older asphalt pavement that is starting to crack and develop small problems either have to be removed and replaced with new base and new asphalt or sometimes they can be overlaid with new asphalt, or they will require constant maintenance with asphalt sealer and hot rubber crack filler. Just like many states and municipalities think, I also think chip sealing is a great solution to older asphalt problems and at the same time, it will bring a new look to a dull and worn out pavement. There are some cons to oil and stone though. If you have kids that like to play on the driveway, chances are eventually they are going to fall. Although all pavements can leave scrapes and bloody knees, newly installed Tar and chip applications have a very rough surface and could potentially cause slightly bigger scrapes to your child if they were to fall. Also until some years have passed and the oil and stone becomes a bit smoother, it's not really possible for your children to draw pictures with chalk. Although you could use paint...Another con is in regards to snow removal. Tar and chip contractors tend to leave a good amount of loose stone on the surface when it is first applied. The oil can sometimes bleed to the surface in hotter weather which could leave unsightly black spots. So the leftover loose stone is applied to adhere to any possible bleed through. Although placed for good reasons, loose stones can sometimes end up on the surrounding landscape when you have snow removed. A few months after the initial install, you can sweep up and remove the remaining leftover stone and stock pile them on site somewhere for future use. Light colored stone driveways (whether tar and chip or loosely placed stones) will keep the area much cooler in the Summer months unlike black asphalt which makes it hotter. But there is also the flip side to that. Light colored stones will not melt snow and ice as fast as blacktop. But the really big pro of a tar and chip pavement, besides the awesome appearance, is the maintenance of or should I say the lack of maintenance required. Every so often you may need to pluck some weed growth if it was placed on a gravel base, or you may need to sweep some loose stones around where you tend drive and turn over the same areas. But besides that, there is not much else more to do but enjoy. Aesthetically pleasing, less maintenance. Tar and Chip might be a great choice for you. Get A Quote |
| Quality Asphalt Paving & SealCoating of Driveways & Parking Lots. Plus more! Serving Residential, Commercial and Industrial Properties in Connecticut, Massachusetts and beyond. Call us Today Toll Free 1-877-DALYPAVE (1-877-325-9728) |
| Daly Paving Company Your Connecticut and Massachusetts Asphalt Paving Contractor. Plus More! 340 West Thames Street Norwich, CT. 06360 - (860) 892-1201 1 Arboretum Road Plymouth, MA. 02360 - (508) 591-7076 |
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