Easy Paving Stencils That Turn Concrete Into Stone Driveway
Paving Your Driveway
Paving a driveway has lots of advantages. It makes life more convenient because you and your car won't be slipping on loose mud or grass whenever it rains. As well as making things more convenient, it also adds value to your property, and it's not as expensive as you might think because there are lots of different materials that can be used to pave your driveway. You can pave all or part of the driveway with loose stones, asphalt, concrete or gravel over a plastic grid so you can make sure the driveway is in sync with the rest of the home by choosing the surface that fits best.
Asphalt Driveway
An asphalt driveway can last up to 15 years if it's laid properly. This is a job you can do yourself if you're confident enough and you're willing to hire the right tools. But for a professional finish you really should hire a contractor. This is a time-consuming job that can only begin once the surface of your driveway is broken up. The surface needs to be graded so that water runs off to the sides or bottom, and then the soil needs to be compacted so that at least eight inches of crushed rocks can be laid on top. A week after this, the asphalt can be laid and then rolled smooth.
Concrete is easier to lay than asphalt but you still need to remove the current driveway surface and then grade it before moving onto the next step. Lumber is used to border the driveway to create the forms needed to make the shape you're after. Most driveways are at least four inches thick so make sure that your forms are that high or higher. You'll need a plate compactor to smooth the soil down, and then the concrete can be poured. Once it's cured, you will be able to remove the forms and begin using the driveway again.
Brick Driveway
Brick driveways look great so the effort making them is worthwhile if you choose to do this yourself. You'll need to dig 12 to 14 inches down to begin with so you might want to hire an excavation contractor for this part of the job. Once that's done, a support base made of stones is poured in. This will support the bricks and also provide drainage. You'll need a plate vibrator now to smooth out the stones which will form a solid base. At this stage, put landscape cloth down to stop weeds from sprouting up. Then you add two inches of sand before laying the bricks in place, which are joined with mason sand.
Circle Paving
If you want your driveway to be attractive, you could use a circle paving kit to add a unique look to the driveway. This method can also be used when you have an weirdly shaped driveway that you might otherwise end up concreting over. Bricks are the best material to use for this type of driveway which is constructed as described before but more time and concentration will be needed to lay the bricks down in an attractive circular pattern.
Gravel Driveway
Gravel is the easiest material to work with but it won't give you a driveway that will stand the test of time as well as the other materials. It's also the cheapest way of paving your drive. You'll still need to dig out the driveway and grade it as before. Smoothing out the surface isn't essential though so you won't need to hire a plate vibrator this time. Use landscape cloth and then pour the gravel over the top to complete it.
Call Professionals
Do you do this alone or get it professionally laid? Cost is a consideration, your time is too and then you have to consider equipment, which most homeowners will need to hire. A professional job can go wrong of course. You can end up with a driveway that doesn't look as you expected or you might end up with a bill that's more than you were quoted. The costs are tailored to the driveway as the length of it and the shape will change the quote but statistics from Home Advisor suggest that an asphalt driveway should cost somewhere between $2,831 and $6,282.
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