How thick should a tarmac driveway be?

On a domestic drive we lay a 40–50mm base course and a 20–25mm wearing course over 150–200mm of compacted MOT Type 1. A single thin layer laid straight over an old surface is the usual cause of early failure.

How long before I can drive on new tarmac?

You can usually walk on it the same evening and drive on it after 24 hours. It continues to harden for several weeks, so avoid parking a heavy vehicle in one spot or turning the wheels while stationary during hot weather.

Can tarmac be laid over an existing driveway?

Only if the existing surface is structurally sound, well drained and can be properly prepared and edged. If it is cracked, sunken or holding water, overlaying it simply reproduces the same faults in a new colour.

Does a tarmac driveway need planning permission?

Tarmac is impermeable, so a front driveway over 5m² needs either planning permission or, more usually, drainage directed to a soakaway or permeable area within your boundary. We design that in as standard.

Can you repair a tarmac driveway?

Yes. Potholes and failed sections are saw-cut out, the base repaired, and new hot material laid and rolled. Ravelled edges are usually a sign of a missing edge restraint, which we correct at the same time.

Is tarmac cheaper than block paving?

Per square metre, generally yes — and the gap widens on larger areas. Block paving offers more design options and easier localised repair, so the right choice depends on the size and prominence of the drive.

Driveways

Tarmac Driveways in Guildford

A seamless, hard-wearing surface that covers large areas economically — laid hot, rolled properly and edged so it never crumbles away at the sides.

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Tarmac is the sensible answer for longer drives and larger parking areas around Guildford. Done well it gives you a quiet, smooth, jointless surface that lasts fifteen to twenty years. Done badly — thin, cold, unedged — it ravels at the edges within a season, which is most of what gives tarmac its reputation.

Where tarmac makes sense

Tarmac earns its keep on area. Once a drive gets beyond about 80m², a bound macadam surface costs meaningfully less per square metre than block paving or resin while carrying the same traffic. It suits long approach drives, shared accesses and rear parking courts around Guildford, Cranleigh and the surrounding villages.

It also copes with the things that damage other surfaces: heavy vehicles, trailers, and constant turning. What it does not do is drain through itself, so falls and drainage have to be designed in rather than hoped for.

Cost-effective over larger areas
Seamless surface — nothing for weeds to grow through
Quiet and smooth underfoot and under tyre
Fast to install once groundwork is complete

Tarmac driveway installation in Guildford, Surrey

Preparation and the layers that matter

We excavate to 200–250mm, membrane the formation and compact MOT Type 1 in layers, exactly as for block paving. Tarmac hides nothing: any softness in the base telegraphs through as depressions within a year or two.

The surfacing itself is laid in two courses on a domestic drive — a 40–50mm base course of coarser 20mm macadam, then a 20–25mm wearing course of 6mm close-graded material for the smooth black finish. Single-layer 'skim' jobs over an old surface are cheap and they fail; we don't offer them.

Everything is laid hot, raked to level and rolled while it still has heat in it. Joints are kept to a minimum and sealed. On a warm day the whole surfacing operation on an average drive takes a single day.

Edging and block paved borders

Tarmac has no strength at an unsupported edge. Every drive we lay is restrained — against existing kerbs, a new concrete edging, or most attractively a block paving or granite sett border two or three courses wide.

A block paved border does three jobs at once: it holds the tarmac, it gives you a crisp line at the lawn or wall, and it lifts the appearance of the drive considerably for a modest extra cost. It is what we recommend on almost every front drive in Guildford.

Drainage

Because tarmac is impermeable, water has to be directed somewhere. We set falls of around 1:60 to 1:80 away from the house and towards a channel drain, gully or permeable border. Where the drive slopes towards the property, a linear ACO channel across the threshold connected to a soakaway is essential, not optional.

Surrey's clay subsoils hold water, so soakaways need sizing and locating properly. If a site cannot take a soakaway, we will say so and discuss a permeable surface instead.

Maintenance, repairs and durability

A two-course tarmac drive on a correct base should give fifteen to twenty years. Keep tree roots away from the edges, avoid turning the steering wheel of a heavy car while stationary in hot weather, and clear standing water where it collects.

Small potholes, ravelling edges and cracks can be cut out and patched hot. Where the surface is generally sound but tired, an overlay on a prepared surface can extend its life. Where the base has failed, patching is money wasted — we will tell you which of the two you are looking at.

How we build it

The installation process, step by step.

01
Survey
Levels, falls, existing construction and drainage assessed before quoting.
02
Excavation
Dig to 200–250mm, soft spots removed, arisings taken away.
03
Sub-base
Membrane and MOT Type 1 compacted in layers to a true, firm formation.
04
Edgings and drainage
Kerbs, block borders and channel drains concreted in before surfacing.
05
Base course
40–50mm of 20mm macadam laid hot and rolled.
06
Wearing course
20–25mm of 6mm close-graded tarmac, rolled to a smooth, sealed finish.

Recent work

Tarmac Driveways projects across Guildford & Surrey

Work completed across Guildford, Godalming, Woking, Farnham, Cranleigh, Haslemere, Shalford, Merrow, Burpham, Ash, Normandy, Ripley and the surrounding Surrey villages.