Can't we all just get along?
The Internet is filled with endless discussions of whether asphalt or concrete is the "better" substance to build with. If you ask anyone at Wolf Paving, we say they're both useful! In fact, there are a lot of situations where using both asphalt AND concrete brings the best results.
Here are a few examples of how these "great tastes" can taste great together!
1. Garbage Truck Damage
One problem that arises with asphalt laid for small vehicles is that it's often impossible to keep larger vehicles off of it. Garbage trucks are the most obvious offenders, but any heavy vehicles will ultimately damage your asphalt every time they're on it.
If you don't want to go to the considerable expense of reinforcing your asphalt to carry larger loads, concrete pads on top of the asphalt are a great compromise. Concrete pads laid in front of your dumpsters or loading dock will go a long way towards preventing cracking by absorbing the weight.
2. Curbs and Edges
Concrete can also be deployed to protect the base of your asphalt, by creating curbs around your asphalt. This protects you two ways:
First, water seeping into the asphalt's base will weaken it over time, leading to more repair jobs. Raised curbs help keep water away from the base. Also, asphalt is weakest at its edges. Concrete curbs prevent people from parking where they will do damage to the surface.
3. The Substructure
Finally, concrete is great for reinforcing the base of an asphalt lay. Whether you're starting with a base of pure concrete, or using a custom asphalt-concrete mix, this is often a cost-effective option for creating asphalt surfaces capable of standing up to heavy usage.
Concrete vs Asphalt: Why Fight?
Concrete and asphalt are both great building materials, and when they're used in conjunction, the benefits only grow. That's why here at Wolf Paving, we're one of the only paving contractors in the northern US that owns all its own production facilities, and recycles 100% of the materials we haul away from work sites.
That reclaimed material goes straight into the next job we do! With more than twenty custom mixes, Wolf Paving has the right surface for your construction projects.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation on how we can make your expansions a reality!
