Tarmac resurfacing & overlays
In short
A new wearing course laid over a drive whose base is still sound — the most economical way to make a tired tarmac or concrete drive look and perform like a new one. Whether the existing base is genuinely up to it is established before anything is priced, because that is the whole decision.
Also called: Overlay tarmac drive · Resurface tarmac · New tarmac over old · Tarmac skim
Signs you need this
- A tarmac drive gone grey and shedding loose chippings
- Old concrete that is solid but stained, dull or scruffy
- A drive that is flat and quiet underfoot with no rocking areas
- No standing water and no map-pattern cracking
- Several visible patch repairs you would rather not look at
- Wanting a fresh surface without the cost of a full rebuild
Overlaying is excellent value when the base is sound and a waste of money when it is not, and there is very little middle ground. A new wearing course adds appearance, waterproofing and a fresh running surface. It adds almost nothing structurally. So if the layers beneath are stable, well drained and not moving, an overlay is the right job. If they are not, the overlay simply inherits their problems on a shorter timescale.
What makes a base suitable is straightforward to assess. It should feel solid underfoot with no rocking, hollow or springy areas. It should drain without ponding. It should be free of map or crocodile cracking, which indicates base failure rather than surface wear. And there needs to be room in the levels — because an overlay raises the drive by 20–30mm, and that has to work against the garage threshold, the doorstep, the damp proof course and the kerb line.
Old concrete is often a superb base for a tarmac overlay and gets overlooked because it is not tarmac. A concrete drive that is intact, stopped moving decades ago and drains properly is stiffer and more stable than most tarmac bases. The one thing to watch is that concrete slab joints and any live cracks can reflect through the new surface over time, so those get treated before laying rather than covered.
Preparation is where a proper overlay earns its living, and where a cheap one does not happen at all. Weeds and moss killed and removed rather than buried. Oil-contaminated areas cut out, because tarmac will not bond to bitumen that has been dissolved. Potholes and depressions filled and compacted so the new layer is a consistent thickness rather than thick in the hollows and paper-thin over the high spots. Cracks routed and sealed. Edges cut back to something solid and restrained. Then a tack coat over the whole area to bond the new to the old.
The edges are where an overlay most often goes wrong. Simply running the new material out to the old perimeter leaves a thin, unsupported lip that breaks away within a winter. The proper detail is to cut a clean edge, restrain it with a kerb or edging where there isn't one already, and lay up to it — or, where the drive butts a path or a garage floor, to plane a taper in so the new surface finishes flush rather than proud.
One thing worth being direct about: an overlay does not fix drainage, and it does not fix planning. If the drive currently sheds water onto the pavement, a new layer of tarmac sheds it just the same. If the drive ponds in a hollow, the overlay ponds in the same hollow unless the levels are regulated first. Both are worth sorting while the drive is being worked on, because doing them separately later means disturbing the new surface.
What the job covers
- An honest assessment of whether the base can take an overlay
- Weeds, moss and oil contamination removed rather than covered
- Potholes and depressions filled and compacted to regulate levels
- Cracks and concrete joints routed and treated before laying
- Edges cut back, restrained or tapered so the new layer is supported
- Threshold, damp proof course and cover levels checked against the rise
- Tack coat over the whole area before the new material goes down
- Wearing course laid and rolled hot to a consistent thickness
What it costs
We don't publish a price for this yet, because a number pulled out of the air is worse than no number at all — your contractor has to honour it. On driveways it would also be close to meaningless: the groundworks are usually the biggest single factor, and how deep the dig has to go varies enormously house to house. You'll get a firm price for your actual job when they ring you back, before any work starts. The quote itself is free and there's no obligation either way.
Common questions
Can you lay tarmac straight over my old drive?
Over a sound one, yes, and it is excellent value. Over a base that is cracked through, rocking or holding water, no — the new surface will fail in the same places. The assessment is not a formality: it decides whether you are buying a twenty-year job or a two-year one. Anyone willing to overlay without walking and sounding the existing drive is guessing on your behalf.
How much will it raise the drive?
Typically 20–30mm for a wearing course, more if the levels need regulating first. That has to be checked against the garage threshold, the doorstep, the damp proof course and any inspection cover or gully in the drive. On a drive that already sits high against the house, an overlay may not be the right answer without planing out first.
Will the old cracks show through?
Live cracks — ones caused by ongoing movement — will eventually reflect through whatever is laid over them. Dormant cracks that have finished moving can be routed, sealed and covered successfully. Concrete slab joints are a known reflection risk and get treated specifically. It is one of the questions the survey is answering before the price is written.
Is an overlay worth it, or should I just replace the drive?
If the base is genuinely sound, an overlay is a fraction of the cost and gives you most of the benefit — a fresh, waterproof, uniform surface. If the base has failed, replacing is the only honest answer and an overlay is money thrown away. That is the whole decision, and it should be made by looking at the drive rather than at a price list.
Need this doing in Macclesfield?
Tell us the job and it goes straight to our local contractor — one call back, usually the same day. Free quote, no obligation.