Ask this question in a company of more or less knowledgeable people, and you can initiate a heated debate. This question is usually asked when there is a need to asphalt a sidewalk, path or area near a country house.
It is worth noting right away that these two materials are the most popular, both for landscaping suburban areas and for laying pedestrian areas in parks and alleys.
What is the answer to this question? Our company provides services for both asphalt paving and laying paving slabs, so we definitely have the answer. However, it is not so simple, or rather, complex.
How much does 1 ton of asphalt cost?
Asphalt prices per ton
| № | Type of asphalt concrete mixture ( asphalt ) | Price, rub (including VAT 20%) |
| 1 | Sand asphalt concrete mixture type D, grade 2 | 3 450,00 |
| 2 | Sand asphalt concrete mixture type D, grade 3 | 3 450,00 |
| 3 | Sand asphalt concrete mixture type G, grade 1 | 4 200,00 |
| 4 | Fine-grained asphalt concrete mixture type A, grade 1 | 3 450,00 |
Recommendations for paving the local area
To improve the quality and aesthetics of the asphalt surface of the yard, it is worth considering the following recommendations:
- growing branches of tree roots can lift even well-rolled asphalt, so it is advisable that there are no trees at a distance of 2-3 m from the asphalt area;
- when laying asphalt, you should strive to level the surface of the pavement as much as possible, otherwise water and dirt will accumulate even in minor depressions;
- asphalt paths and areas must be equipped with curbs, which will not only increase the aesthetics of the coating, but also prevent its destruction along the edges of the installation;
- work on asphalting the local area of a suburban area must be carried out in dry weather, without precipitation and temperatures above +15°C, otherwise the quality of the coating will not be of sufficient quality;
- When laying asphalt, care should be taken to ensure that stones and other foreign objects do not get into the canvas, which during further operation of the pavement could cause destruction of its top layer.
Important! For paving the yard, it is better to use a small road roller, which may increase costs, but will significantly improve the quality of the laying and the entire pavement as a whole.
How much will it cost to put asphalt in the yard?
Prices for asphalt paving
| n\n | Free services | price, rub. |
| 1. | Installation of asphalt covering 4-5 cm thick | 460 |
| 2. | Installation of asphalt 4-5 cm thick | 420 |
| 3. | Installation of asphalt covering 4-5 cm thick | 400 |
| n\n | Road surface repair | price, rub. |
Summing up
We have discussed all the advantages and disadvantages of paving slabs and asphalt. What can be concluded from this?
If you want to get a coating that will last half a century, you are not embarrassed by the high cost of materials and labor, you are not in a hurry with installation, are ready to spend money on stock in advance, and also want to lay out a complex pattern, then choose paving slabs.
If 30 years of service is enough for you, you don’t want to pay many times (or even 10 times) more, you want to be able to quickly repair, and sophisticated patterns are not a priority for you, then definitely choose asphalt pavement.
How thick should paving slabs be?
Paving slabs
25-30 mm thick, this is the optimal solution for arranging pedestrian paths and
sidewalks
; the passage of vehicles on such a surface is strictly excluded. Laying can be done on crushed stone - a sand cushion, or, as an exception, on a concrete base.
Interesting materials:
What is the best entry mat? What kind of rug should I put at the front door? What paint to paint wooden windows on the outside? What paint to paint fiberboard? What paint should I use to paint gypsum panels? What paint is best to paint metal outdoors? What paint is best to paint metal? What paint can be used to paint a suspended ceiling? What paint can you use to paint the walls? What paint should I use to paint textured plaster?
Asphalting
Asphalting is a common way of arranging paths and areas in the yard of a private house. The work is carried out according to the standard scheme: first, the soil is leveled, then a layer of crushed stone or clay-sand mixture is poured, and asphalt is laid on top with a 4 cm layer. During the soil leveling process, the storm drain necks are raised to the required level and curbs are installed. For the yard, the bedding layer is 10-15 cm, since intensive loads (heavy vehicle traffic) are not expected.
Asphalted yard path
Asphalting is attractive because, of all other options for arranging sites and paths, the cost of materials is the lowest, and the completion time is short. Typically, a team of 4 people will spend 2 days to roll out a site of up to 500 square meters. You can walk on the asphalt surface immediately after rolling.
The material has more disadvantages than advantages:
- Compared to tiles or concrete, the service life of asphalt is short, no more than 10 years. Upon reaching this period, the coating will have to be changed, since by then the asphalt will be cracked and patched.
- Another significant drawback is associated with the presence of bitumen in its composition. When heated, bitumen components emit a specific odor, which can be a problem for sensitive people. When heated, the bitumen softens and the smooth surface becomes deformed from slight pressure.
- The maintainability of asphalt is practically zero. If cracks or potholes appear, you will have to install patches that spoil the appearance. Broken integrity still contributes to further destruction and the appearance of cracks on the surface. If it is necessary to repair communications under the asphalt path, it will have to be torn down. It will not be possible to restore the coating to its original appearance; asphalt will have to be laid over the entire area again.
Defects on the asphalt site
- The asphalt surface does not allow water to pass through, and after rain, puddles remain on it for a long time.
Concreting
The installation algorithm is the same as for asphalting: leveling the soil and arranging a crushed stone-sand cushion, installing beacons, reinforcing mesh and dividing strips, pouring concrete. For the street, the thickness of the concrete slab is made at least 10 cm.
As you can see, pouring concrete is a little more complicated, and the cost of consumables is higher. In this case, the duration of installation on the same area will be at least 3 days, and after completion it is necessary to wait 3 days until the concrete hardens. Only after this can you walk on it, and it will gain full strength only after a month.
The advantages of concrete are that all stages of installation can be completed independently, whereas for asphalting you will need special equipment. When installed correctly, the coating itself is durable and can withstand significant loads.
But concrete is considered the least justified solution for arranging a yard:
Improvement
Landscaping is a set of measures that make the human environment comfortable and beautiful. External landscaping of the territory refers to the construction of roads, sidewalks, various squares, sites, as well as landscaping, installation of street lighting and other decorative design. Road construction within the framework of improvement includes such work as: paving, laying paving slabs, foundation construction, installing curbs, laying storm drains, patching asphalt concrete pavement.
Brands of asphalt concrete mixtures for roads according to GOST
Asphalt concrete is a combination of sand, bitumen, crushed stone, various mineral powders and additional components.
Depending on which materials predominate in the structure, types differ, each of which has its own purpose. Thus, there are types of asphalt for courtyards and garden paths, for the construction of road surfaces, as well as for highways and airports. GOST establishes three main groups of asphalt concrete mixtures:
- II – grade of asphalt for roads of any type;
- III – mixtures without crushed stone, suitable, among other things, for the top layer of roads.
- I – suitable for landscaping and creating a road surface base;
In addition, according to density, all asphalt mixtures are divided into high-density, dense, porous, highly porous crushed stone and sand.
Spray-on polyurea waterproofing
Polyurea is a synthetic polymer with high elasticity. It is this property that makes it possible to construct highly effective waterproofing coatings from this material. Spray polyurea waterproofing is performed using special high-pressure apparatuses that spray polyurea elastomer onto the prepared surface. Polyurea spray technology is used for waterproofing roofs, basements, foundations, swimming pools, etc. Spraying a layer of polyurea is also a way to protect the surface from negative environmental influences.
What to choose
Determining absolutely clearly which coating is better is not so easy. Much depends on factors such as:
- The main filler in asphalt is sand, and in concrete it is crushed stone of large fractions. It follows from this that concrete pavement is durable, but inferior to asphalt in aesthetics.
- The turnaround time for the construction of about 300 m² of asphalt pavement is about 2 days, which can be completed by a team of 4 people; and for concrete: 3-4 days for pouring and 28 days until complete setting (you can do everything yourself).
- The asphalt is smoother.
- The period of maintenance-free operation of concrete is 10-12 years, and asphalt is only 5-7 years.
- Preference should be given to a concrete surface if the proposed work is planned in the cold season.
- From an economic point of view: initially, concrete pavement in monetary terms costs 70-80 percent more than asphalt pavement. It is a fact. But we should not forget that asphalt is short-lived and after a short period of time its constant repairs begin. Thus, after 7-8 years (if we compare two types of coverage), it turns out that the costs of purchasing and maintaining each of them (that is, everything in a complex) will practically be equal.
- People and passenger vehicles can move on asphalt; the concrete coating can withstand everything, including trucks and heavy machinery. Therefore, if minimal movement is expected (that is, an average load on the pavement), then there is no point in overpaying and laying concrete.
- Asphalt can be damaged even due to minor mechanical impact. But, repair work can only be carried out in warm (and not rainy) weather.
Asphalt: the miser pays twice
Officials from the department explain the choice of asphalt as follows: it is a “more durable” coating that is more convenient to clean in the autumn-winter period. It “doesn’t slip” and is “easier to repair.” Another significant factor is price. “One square meter of asphalt sidewalk, including work and materials, costs 800-900 rubles, the same work with tiles is estimated from 1,500 to 3,000 rubles,” the administration’s response says.
Properly laid paving slabs (both dry-pressed and granite) can be used for decades. There are examples in Irkutsk: dry-pressed tiles (half the price of granite) have been lying near house No. 2 on Litvinova Street since 2002, there are no chips on them. Very nearby, near the Brand Hall shopping center, the coating has been in place since 2006 - also in good condition. 12 years of granite tiles in Shigeki Mori Square - also without any complaints.
In urban conditions, the service life of asphalt is reduced due to work on underground communications. In this case, the advantage of the tile is obvious: it can be disassembled and put back. With asphalt it is much more complicated: first you need to break up the old coating, then dispose of it, and after repairs or laying networks, put on a new one. All this requires additional expenses.
It is important that in such cases, replacement is usually carried out by the network company itself. The quality of their work is often criticized; the mayor of Irkutsk, Dmitry Berdnikov, drew attention to this problem back in 2022.
In addition, when repairing networks, asphalt is not always completely replaced; patches are obtained. An example is the road along houses No. 6 and 8 on 2nd Zheleznodorozhnaya Street, where a section of new pavement is directly adjacent to the old one.
Since it is impossible to avoid such problems when using asphalt on sidewalks, the Department of Road Activities assured that “before the reconstruction of the roadway and sidewalks, “network specialists” initially visit each site and, if necessary, carry out repair work.”
