Resurface or replace? Deciding what your tarmac drive needs
Resurface when the drive is level and firm but tired-looking; replace when it is sinking, rutted, breaking up across wide areas or holding water. An overlay costs about £25–£45 per m² including VAT against about £60–£95 for a full rebuild.
Signs an overlay will work
- Faded, grey or slightly crazed surface
- A few isolated potholes that can be patched first
- Drive still level, with water running off
- Edges still held by kerbs or blocks
Signs it needs replacing
- Dips, ruts or tyre tracks where the base has moved
- Wide cracking in a crazy-paving pattern
- Standing water after rain
- Crumbling edges with no restraint
- Roots lifting the surface
What about levels?
An overlay adds 25–40 mm. Near the house that can bring the drive too close to the damp-proof course or airbricks, so we plane or cut back at thresholds.
The cost over time
An overlay on a failing base can need redoing within a few years. A full rebuild costs more up front but resets the clock to 15–20 years.
Questions
Can you overlay concrete with tarmac?
Sometimes, but joints and cracks in concrete tend to show through. A thicker overlay or a rebuild is often better.
How long does an overlay last?
Often 8–15 years, depending mainly on the base beneath.
Related services
Tarmac driveway resurfacing
A new tack-coated surface course over a drive whose base is still sound: less digging, lower cost.
FROM £25–£45 PER M² INC VATLearn more →
New tarmac driveways
Full dig-out, compacted stone sub-base, binder course and a fine surface course, edged and drained.
FROM £60–£95 PER M² INC VATLearn more →Tarmac driveway repairs
Potholes, sunken patches, cracks and crumbling edges cut out square and re-laid hot.
FROM £150–£400 EACH INC VATLearn more →Get a written tarmac quote
Send a postcode and a rough size and we'll arrange a survey. Every quote lists the layers, edging, drainage and VAT.
- Surface courseDEPTH + MIX
- Binder courseDEPTH + MIX
- Sub-baseDEPTH + MATERIAL
- Edges, drainage, VATITEMISED