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Recycled asphalt is a durable choice for a driveway, but doesn’t have the same appearance and low maintenance as standard asphalt. For long driveways in rural communities, recycled asphalt can make a great choice. Recycled asphalt is 20% to 30% percent less expensive than standard asphalt and is better for the environment. 

Asphalt dries and cures best between 50 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. This range allows moisture to evaporate quickly without causing the asphalt to cool too fast, which can negatively affect the drying process. However, keep in mind that other weather conditions can also affect curing and drying times, such as precipitation and humidity.

Asphalt and tarmac are not the same thing. Traditional tarmac, short for tarmacadam, uses tar as a binder to hold crushed stone together. Asphalt uses bitumen—a byproduct of crude oil—to bind aggregate. Though tarmac was once a go-to for roads, asphalt has become the modern standard. And these days, most surfaces referred to as “tarmac” are actually asphalt. So, while the names may overlap, the key distinction lies in the binder—tar for tarmac and bitumen for asphalt.

The layer of polymeric sand under the pavers plus the polymeric sand that gets swept into the joints between your pavers holds them in place in a few ways. For one, the gritty texture of the sand helps lock the pavers together. Polymeric sand also contains bonding agents that get activated by water. Polymeric sand will take between 24 and 48 hours to fully cure, so do not walk on your paver walkway before this time.