Smooth, Long-Lasting Tarmac Driveways at Fair Prices

Under normal summer conditions in Burton upon Trent — with air temperatures above 10°C — a freshly laid tarmac driveway should be firm enough for pedestrian use within a few hours of completion. We typically advise waiting a full 24 hours before driving a car onto it and 48–72 hours before parking a heavier vehicle such as a van or SUV and leaving it stationary for extended periods. In colder conditions the curing time extends slightly. We'll give you specific advice based on the weather forecast at the time of installation.

A well-constructed tarmac driveway on a correctly specified sub-base will last 15–25 years before any major resurfacing work is required. The factors that shorten driveway life are poor sub-base preparation, inadequate compaction during laying, insufficient thickness, and lack of edge restraint. Fuel and oil spills will accelerate surface deterioration if left untreated — these should be cleaned up promptly. Surface cracks that appear in the first few years are almost always a sub-base issue rather than a material failure, which is why base preparation is so important.

Yes. Red, green, buff, and block-pattern effect tarmac are all available and we use these regularly in Burton upon Trent. Coloured tarmac uses a pigmented bitumen binder and is applied as the wearing course over a standard black binder course — so the construction method and durability are identical to a plain black drive. Red tarmac is particularly popular for front driveways where homeowners want to differentiate their property, and green is commonly used on tennis courts and play areas. Coloured wearing courses carry a small material premium over standard black.

Generally, yes. Tarmac is typically 30–50% less expensive per square metre than a mid-range block paving installation for a comparable area, primarily because the laying process is faster and material costs are lower. The trade-off is that tarmac offers less design flexibility and individual sections cannot be lifted and relaid as easily as block paving if sub-surface access is needed. For customers who want a clean, low-maintenance, durable driveway at a competitive price, tarmac is often the most practical and cost-effective solution.

The same Permitted Development rules apply to tarmac driveways as to any other impermeable driveway surface. If the driveway drains to a lawn, border, or soakaway rather than directly to the public road, no planning permission is required. If surface water would discharge onto the footway or highway, planning consent is needed unless the surface itself is permeable. Standard dense-bitumen tarmac is an impermeable surface, so we incorporate correct drainage gradients and either a suitable soakaway or a channel drain at the road boundary as part of every installation to keep you compliant.

In some cases, yes — if the existing base is sound, correctly graded, and has no major structural failures, we can lay a new tarmac wearing course over the top using a tack coat to bond the layers. This is a cost-effective option that avoids full excavation. However, if the existing surface is cracked, sunken, or poorly drained, overlaying will only mask the problems temporarily and the new surface will fail within a few years. We assess this honestly during our free survey and recommend a full reconstruction only where it's genuinely necessary.

Yes. All tarmac driveway installations carried out by 5 Star Home Improvement are backed by a written workmanship guarantee. The guarantee covers structural defects arising from our installation — sub-base movement, delamination of tarmac layers, and edge failures within the guarantee period. It does not cover surface damage caused by fuel spills, point loading from vehicle jacks, or frost heave on pre-existing soft-soil formations that were disclosed at survey. We'll confirm the exact guarantee terms in your written quotation.