Coloured Asphalt Surfacing

At Tidey & Webb, our surfacing projects are varied in nature and sometimes, people like to break away from the more traditional aesthetics and go for something a little more different.

That is when our expert teams come in and demonstrate the benefits of coloured asphalt to help enhance the surface you have chosen to give a refreshing new look.

With a broad range of colours available thanks to the incredible BBA HAPAS accredited Ulticolour offerings, we can transform any surface into something that stands out. Whether it be for a residential surfacing project or a commercial surfacing installation.

With over 30 years of surfacing experience across a multitude of surface types, our team can help you make an educated decision on what coloured asphalt will work best for you and then skilfully lay it to complete your driveway, path, sporting surface or carpark.

Simply enquire with our surfacing experts to find out more.

Asphalt is one of the most versatile surfacing products available and is known to be extremely durable. Typically you will see asphalt surfaces in black, this is due to the bitumen binder that is used, in some cases this same asphalt is made to look burgundy in appearance when an iron oxide pigment is added.

We don’t want you to be limited to just black or an off red so we use ulticolour which uses a clear Mexphalte C binder and bright-coloured pigment to create vibrant effects that can be used for a hose of surfacing projects.

Uses for coloured asphalt

What you choose to use coloured asphalt on is down to you, our team will lay a surface wherever planning permission or environmental legislation allows. This can see us lay coloured asphalt across a wide range of surfaces.

Most common surfaces that benefit from coloured asphalt are driveways. People like a bit of individualism to their properties and a coloured asphalt driveway certainly shows off a little more character to your property.

In addition to the popular driveway surfacing we use coloured asphalt on, we receive many enquiries to apply the same product to playgrounds and paths.  This is certainly no problem and once our team have visited the area to assess what is required to give you the surface you desire, we set about booking in the start of our work.

When not being used for playgrounds, driveways or paths, it is not uncommon to have estate drives become furnished with a coloured asphalt surface either.

We feel that a coloured asphalt surface really brings an exterior of a property to life and would be delighted to help you give your property a little more vibrancy that it could currently be missing.

Available colours in coloured asphalt

At Tidey & Webb, we use the incredible Ulticolur product for any coloured asphalt projects that we undertake. This comes in a huge range of stunning colours that can make any surface look reinvigorated. We are commonly asked for red but as an example of what else you can enjoy, have a look at this list of just a few of the additional stunning coloured asphalts we can add to your driveway, path, carpark or playground:

• Terracotta
• Orange
• Leaf Green
• Mid-Blue
• Light Buff
• White
• Mid-Grey
• Classic Green
• Buff Gravel

Should you be looking for alternative colours for your coloured asphalt just get in touch. Our team would be more than happy to help you find a colour that suits your needs

Benefits of coloured asphalt

Deciding to upgrade your driveway, path, playground, carpark or any other surface with coloured asphalt doesn’t just stand to give a pleasing site through its vibrant colours. It also offers additional benefits that you may have not been aware of.

• Awareness for traffic calming
• Improved visibility when used on parking areas, road crossings and ramps.
• Can be imprinted with different patterns for safety or aesthetic purposes.
• Quick to install.
• Low maintenance

Coloured asphalt compared to concrete

Asphalt can prove to be a fantastic alternative to concrete for a variety of surfacing projects. When used as a driveway for example it is often preferred to block paving. The resistance to weeds and other intrusions being a key factor as it allows your driveway to keep a fresh clear appearance. Coloured asphalt is durable, much like concrete but where damage to a concrete driveway can lead to large repairs being needed, coloured asphalt is much easier to look after. A simple fill of cracks and gaps should any emerge can have the surface looking new again.

Both require small levels of general maintenance to maintain their appearance, but concrete can be more prone to highlighting oil spills from your car which in turn can lead to a more vigorous cleaning regimen. You will need to treat asphalt every few years though to have it perform at its best. Our team can advise you on the best practice for that.

Cost-wise, asphalt does tend to come in cheaper than concrete and that can be seen as an added bonus, especially during these times when we look to save every penny we can. However, some people say that with the added cost of treating it every few years, you may end up spending more on your asphalt surface than your concrete one.

One other factor worth considering is the weather, in the UK we tend to have a very varied weather system. Lots of rain, sporadic heatwaves and then unusually low temperatures. Overall, we experience more cool-colder weather than we do hot weather, and this could see coloured asphalt being of benefit. Asphalt withstands colder weather better than concrete.

Coloured asphalt compared to block paving

Coloured asphalt tends to be a cheaper option than block paving and whilst people love the personalisation that comes with block paving, its cost, time to lay and maintenance can be detracting.

Having a coloured asphalt driveway will enable you to move on to the next property development job you have in mind relatively quickly. The time it takes to resurface an area with coloured asphalt is significantly less than if you were to choose block paving.

Both surface types need an element of treating and our block paving maintenance guide illustrates how much time you could spend tending to it.

Laying coloured asphalt

When we come to lay your coloured asphalt surface, our team will carefully assess the area to ensure every part of the job will be completed to perfection. Our expert engineers will transform the area you require to be resurfaced with care, precision and professionalism. Whether we are based on a residential property or a commercial site, we work to cause minimal disruption but maximum effectiveness.

Before laying your coloured asphalt surface, our team will visit to assess the job at hand. From there we can provide a detailed no-obligation quote. If you like us and like the quote even more, then great! We can book you in for a date that suits you to begin the process.

When laying an asphalt surface we tend to work through six key steps.

1. Removal of all old surface material and debris
2. We then grade the slope
3. Then the sub-base is prepared to create stability
4. After the sub base is prepared and any soft areas identified, we add the binder layer
5. Fresh asphalt is then laid over the top
6. To finish, we ensure a smooth transition between your driveway and any connecting path.

Following this laying of the surface, we ensure complete smoothness and compaction of the surface by using our specialist equipment to make sure your new coloured asphalt surface is bump-free and as smooth as possible.