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Asphalt is cost-effective, quick to install, and offers longevity with proper maintenance.

Your driveway contractor will probably recommend that you avoid driving on your new millings driveway for up to a week. Keeping pressure off the freshy applied millings will help the driveway to bind together. While the sun is helpful for binding millings, hotter weather can actually make the curing process take longer.

You can pour concrete over asphalt if it’s in good condition, thick, stable, and well-compacted. Concrete is more durable than asphalt and can extend the lifetime of your driveway without having to pay frequent asphalt driveway repair costs or replace it completely. 

But this is best reserved as a temporary solution based on budget restraints, as asphalt requires more frequent repairs and assessments than concrete. Once that concrete top is poured, it’ll be harder to accurately understand what’s happening beneath that layer, which could lead to more issues.

Maintaining a driveway depends on the material your driveway is made of. Concrete and asphalt should be sealed to protect against water and freeze-thaw cycles. Cracks and expansion joints should be filled with a flexible polyurethane caulk or asphalt sealer. Before you apply a sealant to your driveway, consider pressure washing the surface. It will take off any loose sealant and any grime that might have caused a stain. Sealing over dirt and stains will trap it under the sealer.

If you live in colder climates, consider using sand rather than salt to de-ice. Sand helps melt the snow and ice without speeding up the freezing and unthawing process of your driveway, which helps prevent cracks from forming from the constant fluctuation of temperatures.