Affordable Tar and Chip Paving in Haymarket, VA
Haymarket, VA homeowners and businesses who are looking for an alternative to hot mix asphalt for a driveway, circle drive, parking lot, or private road will want to consider the advantages of tar and chip paving. A simple, cost effective paving method that results in an all-weather, low maintenance surface, tar and chip is an excellent choice for property owners desiring a rustic looking texture for their paved surfaces.
Tar and chip paving (also known as chipseal or tarmac) is a century old paving process used by many road departments because of its ease of installation and significant savings over traditional asphalt paving. While it is still in common use by many road departments because of its low cost to install, few residential paving contractors offer the service.
At Manassas based Standard Paving, we have been in the asphalt paving business for over 30 years and we have kept the fine art of installing tar and chip alive and well. Customers looking for new installations or repaving of driveways, parking lots, private lanes, and other surfaces, often opt for chipseal not only for its relatively low cost but because they can literally “design” the color and texture of their drive. An asphalt surface that is “color coordinated” with the rest of the property has an amazing impact on curb appeal and overall property value.
- Residential Asphalt Paving
- Commercial Chipseal Paving
- Paving for parking lots
- Asphalt laying services
- Asphalt Installation
- Driveway replacement
- Patching / Grading
- Excavation
- Site Preparation
- Chipseal roads installation and maintenance
- Coating parking areas
- Driveway construction, installation and maintenance
What is Tar and Chip Paving?
First developed in New Zealand in the 1920s as a way to pave areas that were not near hot mix asphalt batch plants, tar and chip was quickly adopted in the U.S. for the same reasons. Tar and chip remains exceptionally popular among municipal road departments for repaving and new roads because of its low cost.
The best way to explain what tar and chip is, is to describe how it differs from traditional hot mix asphalt paving. Hot mix is produced in asphalt batch plants. A mixture of 5% asphalt cement, and 95% aggregate like gravel and sand are combined, loaded on to a truck and transported to the work site much like a concrete truck would do. When it arrives, the hot mix asphalt is transferred onto a paving machine that actually does the installation.
Tar and chip is assembled at the work site. Tar and chip is a mix of liquid asphalt and chip stone. A gravel base is laid down and compacted to create a solid subbase. The asphalt is heated and loaded into an asphalt distribution truck which then sprays a thin layer of liquid asphalt on the gravel. That truck is followed by another who drops a layer of chip stone into the asphalt. Finishing off the process, a commercial roller thoroughly compacts the mix embedding the stone into the asphalt.
The result is a rock hard, all weather, low to no maintenance surface. Tar and chip is not as smooth as hot mix asphalt. It has a more pebbly surface that provides excellent traction for both vehicles and pedestrians in the rain and snow. The actual texture and color of the surface depends on the size and color of the chip stone used.
And that’s where you can express yourself. By controlling the color and size of the chip stone you can create a surface ranging in color from almost white to rust and nearly every color in between.
Asphalt Installation:
Step 1
Our own full time experienced crew installs the asphalt with a heated self propelled paver and hand tools.
Step 2
The hot asphalt is compacted with an industrial, steel drum, vibrating roller, to form a hard surface.
Step 3
The vertical edges are hand finished and compacted for maximum durability and neat appearance.
Tar and Chip Paving – An Affordable Alternative to Asphalt Paving
Tar and chip paving makes sense for any number of projects but it also has some drawbacks compared to traditional hot mix asphalt paving. At Standard paving, we want your paving project to be the best possible solution for the circumstances. We aren’t biased, we do both tar and chip and hot mix asphalt paving. But we do want you to have options and we want to provide you with enough information to make an informed decision.
With that in mind, here are the major pros and cons of chipseal paving:
- Cost. The biggest draw for tar and chip paving is its comparatively low cost. Each project will vary but generally speaking, tar and chip paving runs 40% to 60% less than traditional asphalt. This low cost makes some projects, like gravel roads and parking lots, far more feasible than investing in asphalt.
- Architectural Appeal. Tar and chip has a unique look that can compliment the overall appearance of a property enhancing its value. As discussed, you can control the color and texture of the surface by selecting the appropriate chip stone.
- Usability. Professionally installed tar and chip projects result in all weather, low to no maintenance surfaces suitable for most hot mix asphalt applications.
- Shorter Service Life. Chipseal surfaces will last 12 to 14 years or less than half the service life of traditional asphalt.
- Rough Surface. The chip stone on top of the asphalt creates a pebbly effect that can be problematic if you use a commercial plowing service to clear snow. They need to know the surface is tar and chip to prevent scrapping off or pulling out stone. If you have kids who shoot hoops at the garage, the surface will be bad for basketballs not to mention knees if a player trips and falls.
Standard Paving – Your Tar and Chip Paving Experts in Haymarket
Installing tar and chip correctly can be tricky. Traditional asphalt is installed with the assistance of self-leveling paving machines. It still takes an experienced operator to get professional results, but the process is more precisely defined than installing chipseal. Tar and chip installation relies heavily on the experience and “feel” of the asphalt distribution truck driver. Same for the chip stone truck driver. And that’s why many residential asphalt paving companies serving Haymarket don’t offer tar and chip paving.
With 30 years in the business, we have the crews with that experience.
If you would like to explore the possibility of using tar and chip on your next project, give us a call at 844-266-7283 and let’s chat. You’ll be glad you did.
