Tar and Chip Driveway Installation Southern Maine (how much, house)

[wellsme]

Hello,
Anyone out there know of a paving company in the southern Maine area that installs tar and chip driveways?
Thanks.

[Maineah]

Never heard of it....

[wellsme]

It's an alternative I'm thinking about.
Tar and Chip Driveways | A Great Inexpensive Choice

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by wellsme

It's an alternative I'm thinking about.
Tar and Chip Driveways | A Great Inexpensive Choice

It would make snow removal a nightmare.

[mollysmiles]

I read the little blurb on it and I'd definitely look for more information on it if you haven't all ready. You probably have, and hopefully there are some reviews for climates similar to Maine. It says that the little rocks helps with traction, but you can't plow the snow right down to the surface. So, it's going to build up ice and snow over the winter, at least an inch or two I think. What good are those rocks for "traction" then? And, if you don't need the traction help in the cold weather when do you need it? We have pavement, and it's not slippery in the rain. If it's a case of sleet or freezing rain, those little rocks are going to get just as slippery as pavement, and all those little bumps are going to hurt when you fall on them.

The other thing I wonder about it how the months of cold and snow on the surface are going to impact how well those rocks stay in that asphalt. I remember seeing chunks of tar in places when I was growing up, and noticing the surface had pits in it where rocks used to be~ actually, as a reflection of how much times have changed, it was at the old "Primary" school playground. I guess kids remember things like that! Anyway, I'm sure this is somewhat different, but I just can't imagine that is going to stand up to a lot of Maine winters.

Have you looked into stamped concrete? It's been around a few years, and I've always liked how it looks. Our driveway is in good shape, but when the time comes, that's the direction we'll head. Good luck!

Just one more thing..... as a Mom I have to say, that's gonna really mess with playing basketball in the driveway! (not to mention chalk drawings...)

[Cornerguy1]

Tar and chip or tar and stone is a fairly popular road surfacing alternative in rural areas in Ontario.

As the e-brochure states, first a gravel base is laid and compacted, hot tar is applied, and then an additional layer of stone is laid over top. The road surface is then rolled to help embed the top gravel into the hot tar.

Over the next few weeks, road traffic compacts as much stone as possible into the tar with the excess being bounced off the road surface to the shoulders. The resulting surface is rougher than asphalt.

Cold climates don't affect these road surfaces any more than they would a traditional asphalt surface and our snowplows certainly don't raise the blade. My parents live on such a road and it's been ten years since it was re-surfaced.

The only thing I would question is the actual cost saving for something as small as a driveway. Tar and chip is still an involved process.

One idiosyncrasy of tar and stone surfaces happens in hot, sunny weather; the tar actually softens in direct sunlight and may start to bubble. This may be fine on a road, but tracking tar into your house from your driveway may not get you the Good Housekeeping award.

[OutDoorNut]

Originally Posted by Cornerguy1

Tar and chip or tar and stone is a fairly popular road surfacing alternative in rural areas in Ontario.

As the e-brochure states, first a gravel base is laid and compacted, hot tar is applied, and then an additional layer of stone is laid over top. The road surface is then rolled to help embed the top gravel into the hot tar.

Over the next few weeks, road traffic compacts as much stone as possible into the tar with the excess being bounced off the road surface to the shoulders. The resulting surface is rougher than asphalt.

Cold climates don't affect these road surfaces any more than they would a traditional asphalt surface and our snowplows certainly don't raise the blade. My parents live on such a road and it's been ten years since it was re-surfaced.

The only thing I would question is the actual cost saving for something as small as a driveway. Tar and chip is still an involved process.

One idiosyncrasy of tar and stone surfaces happens in hot, sunny weather; the tar actually softens in direct sunlight and may start to bubble. This may be fine on a road, but tracking tar into your house from your driveway may not get you the Good Housekeeping award.

Also if your car or the car of a visitor is dripping any fluids, I think I heard that it might soften or dissolve the tar.

[mollysmiles]

Originally Posted by Cornerguy1

...Over the next few weeks, road traffic compacts as much stone as possible into the tar with the excess being bounced off the road surface to the shoulders...
Cold climates don't affect these road surfaces any more than they would a traditional asphalt surface and our snowplows certainly don't raise the blade...

It sounds like the reason it's smoother is due to all the traffic when it's "new", and the height of the plow wouldn't make a big difference because it's so nicely embedded. I wonder if you'd be able to achieve a similar result in a driveway with a roller? In reading the link I had the impression that the stone would have a higher profile than the tar, and I imagined about a 1/2" difference or more. I can see if you could get that height difference down it would be better.

A couple of brick drives have been done in our area over the last few years. I love how they look, and while I imagined they were difficult to maintain, the owners have said that they aren't. The biggest issue they had was that during the first winter they weren't able to use any type of ice melt product on the brick.

[wellsme]

Thanks for all your replies. I think I'm going to pass on the "tar and chip" idea.
I installed a brick driveway and perimeter around the house twelve years ago and all the bricks are disintegrating (not from salt).
I can't swing the cost of another brick job, but wanted something other than concrete and asphalt. The natural look of the crushed stone in the "tar and chip" method seemed to be what I was looking for at a much lesser price.
After doing my homework and viewing the various comments I figure "tar and chip" isn't going to work.
I hate to think that asphalt may be the only alternative to fit my budget at this time, but that's the way it goes.
Maybe I can figure out a way to make the asphalt a little more attractive.
Anyway, take care everyone.

[Maineah]

I have a 3/4" crushed stone driveway in my barn yard. I raise the bucket of my loader to plow it. When it gets cold and builds up ice I can plow it more aggressively and not get any stone in the bucket. In the spring when it's thawed out I don't even try to plow it. I get a few rocks on the lawn over the winter but I rake them up in the spring and throw them back in the driveway. Every two or three years I have four yards of crushed stone dropped on that driveway and I spread the stone with a front end loader on my tractor and a york rake. Once a summer I rake out the weeds with the york rake and it looks good 99% of the time. It drains really well and is fine. My main driveway is asphalt. It plows easily, and dries fast in the sun . I rarely have to sand it as there is a slight slope to it and it simply melts and runs off. You can't beat asphalt in Maine.