While some landscaping projects require you to lay fresh paving, for many jobs, recycled materials work just as well at a lower price point. In fact, they even have certain advantages, aside from being affordable and environmentally friendly, that may make them a better fit for your landscape. In this post, we’re comparing two popular choices, crushed asphalt and crushed concrete, so you can make the most informed decision.
Understanding Crushed Asphalt: An Overview
Asphalt paves our busiest highways, withstanding the weight of heavy vehicles and the wear and tear that comes with precipitation and extreme temperatures, with a lifespan of over two decades (if maintained properly). Still, there comes a day that roads must be repaved, and milling machines come in to remove the surface, which is then ground up to create reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), also known as crushed asphalt.
Crushed asphalt frequently has an irregular texture—like a heavy dust with some pebble-sized pieces of asphalt mixed in. Within landscaping, this material has a plethora of applications. For example, it can be used to create an attractive pathway or a garden edging that prevents mulch or vegetation from encroaching on the sidewalk.
Key Advantages of Crushed Asphalt for Your Project
A key advantage of crushed asphalt is its low price. Since it’s a recycled material and quite abundant, you can purchase a yard of it for as low as twenty dollars. Compare this with other common landscaping materials such as crushed stone and river rock, which tend to go for double or triple that price, respectively.
As we mentioned previously, asphalt is what we choose to pave our busiest highways, so it has to be a weather-resistant and durable material. However you apply it in your landscaping project, crushed asphalt is bound to last for many years. Another benefit of crushed asphalt is that it doesn’t require much maintenance.
An Introduction to Crushed Concrete
Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), or crushed concrete, has a similar origin to crushed asphalt. When concrete structures such as sidewalks or buildings reach the end of their lifespan and are demolished, the remaining materials are separated and cleaned, and the concrete is processed to create crushed concrete.
When it comes to landscaping jobs, the applications of crushed concrete are also similar to those of crushed asphalt. That is to say that there are many different uses you can give this material when creating your dream yard. Crushed concrete comes in different sizes—while the kind with larger pieces may be used as a subbase material in more heavy-duty construction jobs, pebble-sized crushed concrete is perfectly suited for pathways and similar projects.
Exploring the Benefits of Crushed Concrete in Construction
Since crushed concrete is a recycled material, it’s both cheaper and more eco friendly than most alternatives. Different sizes of crushed concrete can be used for different purposes, and the potential projects go beyond subbase layers and walkways. For example, large pieces of crushed concrete may be placed on an inclined river bank to reduce erosion.
Another advantage of crushed concrete is that it’s a permeable material, so it has additional applications within landscaping. For example, to prevent plants from getting waterlogged, it’s necessary to provide a layer for drainage at the bottom of every raised garden bed. Many people use gravel for this purpose, but medium-sized crushed concrete works just as well, and generally for a lower price.
Crushed Asphalt or Crushed Concrete: Making the Right Choice for Your Project
Whether crushed asphalt or crushed concrete is the right choice for your landscaping project depends on the specifics of what you’re trying to achieve and, of course, your personal aesthetic preferences.
Crushed asphalt contains some binding agents so, when used on a walkway, it may create a more stable surface compared to crushed concrete. On the other hand, crushed concrete is lighter and allows for more drainage, which makes it very practical for certain projects such as garden beds.
Beauty is a top priority in any landscaping project, so it’s also important to take into consideration the color of crushed asphalt vs crushed concrete. Though the specific tone of these materials can vary, asphalt is the darker of the two.
Look no further than New England Landscape Supply if you need to stock up on crushed asphalt. And if you still have questions about the properties of this versatile landscaping material, shoot us a message through our site and we’ll be happy to assist you.