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Tuesday, March 2. 2010

Tar and Chip Driveways

Tar and Chip is a good way to do, or re-do, a driveway. It's more attractive than asphalt, cheaper, and affords better traction.


It can also be applied on top of an asphalt driveway to improve the appearance. It's basically stone chips or small gravel, of whatever color you chose, rolled into hot tar. Over time, careless snow-plowing will wear away the gravel. Not quickly, though. It lasts for years.


This guy loves his tar and chip.


Do we have any readers who are tar and chip fans?

Posted by The Barrister in Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 11:55 | Comments (6) | Trackbacks (0)

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Up and at 'em, Macadam
#1 Wally on 2010-03-02 15:11 (Reply)
Funny you should post this - we're thinking about doing this on our driveway which is currently paved to improve the looks of the house. The driveway is beat up a little after 30 somethin' years.

He's right though - finding a contractor is difficult. I did find one, but they are off for the Winter.
#2 Tom Francis on 2010-03-02 15:18 (Reply)
Ugh. They do that to the streets out here in the Phoenix area. Might look fine on your driveways, but I'm willing to bet that your driveways never get hot enough to allow the rocks to do the cling 'n fling on your tires after they've been applied...
-Kv
#3 Kv (Link) on 2010-03-02 17:36 (Reply)
Interesting as was thinking about this the other day and how much research I would have ahead to find a contractor. Our township does a tar and chip on our roads every few years and they are still some of the best and cheapest in the area.
In an ever stranger turn of events, it appears the contractors place of business is some 5-10 miles north of where we live. With a 400ft driveway, I suspect he will be looking forward to my call. (However the wash out is concerning as that is my problem now with a paved driveway).
#4 Bonasa (Link) on 2010-03-02 17:49 (Reply)
As a motorcyclist, I consider chip seal (What they call tar and chip here in California.) to be the devil's spawn of road maintenance techniques. There is nothing in the world like riding some pleasant back road and suddenly discovering that you're surfing waves of loose gravel while tar collects on everything from your center stand to the most aft portion of your rear fender.
#5 Michael R. Kesti on 2010-03-02 20:20 (Reply)
The first paved road in Oregon was built by the Portland Macadamized Road Company. I used to drive on "Macadm Avenue" daily.

The asutue Wikipedian will notice that part of the original macadam design was a ditch on each side of the road sufficient to keep water from the road itself.
#6 Gene51 on 2010-03-02 21:02 (Reply)
I am desperately searching for a contractor to do a tar and chip driveway for me. I live in North Andover MA and am very near the southern NH border4ZU.Can anyone help me??
#7 marcia minott (Link) on 2010-06-19 07:57 (Reply)

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