What Is The Best Low-maintenance Driveway?

As a homeowner, you certainly don’t want to have to do any repairs on your driveway. Your driveway is meant to be a solid, long-lasting location where you can park your cars and forget about them. However, for many homeowners around the United States, this is not the case.

Depending on the material of your driveway, the kind of traffic it gets, the surrounding conditions, temperature changes, and other factors, your driveway will end up getting a lot of violence in a short period of time. 

This means you’ll have to spend money on repairs several times over the life of your driveway, which can be expensive, particularly if it’s concrete or asphalt.

When it comes to low-maintenance driveways, there are plenty of choices available. Let’s break down some of the most common styles of low-maintenance driveways on the market today whether you’re looking to install a new driveway or repair an old one:

Permeable Pavers

Permeable Pavers are the least expensive and need the least amount of upkeep. This isn’t to say that they’re the cheapest driveway content available. They are manufactured in the United States from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic and are considered to outlast both asphalt and concrete.

They take virtually no upkeep and can last as long as a paved stone driveway because they are made of plastic and can be packed with grass or gravel. 

They are much less difficult to mount than paving stones, but they can be used in conjunction with paving stones, concrete, asphalt, plain grass, or almost any other substance.

Concrete Grass Pavers

Your driveway can benefit from an interlocking concrete grass paver driveway. Grass pavers are made up of small square holes from which you can see the underlying grass or dirt, allowing water to flow freely. 

This is an environmentally conscious feature that keeps your driveway from overflowing and keeps your nearby water supplies from being contaminated by excess drainage from heavy rain. 

These types of interlocking concrete grass pavers can be pricey, and they do require some time and effort to mount. 

One of the most significant disadvantages of grass pavers is that, since the gaps in the concrete allow water to flow through, they also allow weeds and other bothersome plants to grow. 

They clog quickly and the grass becomes choked and dies. This raises the amount of upkeep needed for a grass concrete paver driveway since weeds would need pruning or repeated reseeding.

Paving Stones

Paving stones can last up to a century if properly installed. A paving stone driveway has numerous other advantages, particularly when combined with permeable paving. 

Paving stone driveways are usually imported from various quarries around the world, making them much more environmentally conscious than asphalt and concrete.

Concrete or any kind of permeable substance may be used between the stones in a paving stone driveway. 

Both models will last a long time, but only driveways made of permeable material will be able to meet drainage requirements. 

If you live in a place where there is a lot of snow and ice, you can even get a heating system built under your paving stone driveway.

One of the most significant disadvantages of a paving stone driveway is the time and commitment required to build it. You’ll be paying someone else a lot of money to do all the hard work for you if you don’t do it yourself.

Imprinted Concrete Driveways

As opposed to anything like block paving, imprinted concrete driveways need relatively little upkeep and have a big advantage that weeds are very difficult to spread through. 

This is because, contrary to what the name implies, there are no holes or cracks for the weeds to break into. Instead, concrete is laid and so a pattern is imprinted on it until it dries. 

Driveways coated in resin

Resin-bound driveways are another perfect example of low-maintenance driveways, and weeds should not be a concern as long as the surface is kept clear. 

To keep the floor looking great, all you have to do is a jet wash or hose it down and sweep it. 

Resin-bound driveways are suitable for areas that are on an incline but also want a gravelly appearance. 

They’re a perfect alternative to tarmac, blocks, slabs, and concrete pavement, and bonded gravel’s natural texture makes it suitable for non-slip and anti-skid applications. 

Another benefit is that, in dry conditions, there isn’t the problem of dust being stirred up by drivers, as is popular with gravel driveways.