Most driveways are made of asphalt or concrete. But when looking for a less traditional option, several options can add life and durability. The trouble with most of the options is that there are downsides to installing them in place of a traditional concrete driveway. 

A stamped concrete driveway has many of the benefits of other options and none of the downsides. To help you decide if a stamped concrete driveway is the right option for you, we’re going to explain some of the benefits of stamped concrete over the other available options. 

Customizable Looks Can Mimic Other Materials 

One of the best benefits of stamped concrete over other materials is that there are several patterns that can make your stamped concrete driveway look like whatever material you wish without paying the price of that material. 

This gives you the option of having the durability of a concrete driveway while having the look of something different. A stamped concrete driveway can match materials like sandstone, brick, slate, tile, and cobblestone in terms of customization. This can help homeowners that want a driveway that matches the look of their home or ornaments around their yard, such as a brick facade, cobblestone fence, or other accents. 

It also makes your driveway stand out from the pack in a neighborhood of similar homes and driveways. This can be an essential feature when selling your home. 

Improved Durability and Lifespan Over Other Materials 

Driveway maintenance is a significant factor when determining what materials to use. Even asphalt, which is a common material, has high maintenance costs and doesn’t last nearly as long as concrete. 

The same is true for other materials as well. For instance, a brick driveway can wear down over time thanks to rain and snow, and eventually, the damaged brick will need to be repaired, or else it can damage your vehicles when you park over it. That’s not counting the horrible look of a cracked brick driveway. 

While concrete does wear over time, it has much higher durability, and by using stamped concrete to add color and texture to your concrete, you improve the wear resistance and durability over standard concrete. This makes stamped concrete a superior option and less expensive to keep up over the life of your driveway. 

Material Cost and Time of Installation 

Another major benefit of stamped concrete is that the cost of installation is comparable to that of standard concrete, with only a slight increase. Many of the other options to get a different look are much more expensive per unit and will require large amounts of whatever material you pick. A cobblestone driveway may look nice, but that’s a lot of cobblestones to complete a standard full-length driveway. 

The amount of concrete, whether regular or stamped is the same and with stamped concrete, you get whatever look you choose for the same standard price. Additionally, you get the benefit of knowing that the installation will be done right because it’s the same as a standard concrete driveway. 

Another benefit that most people don’t consider until it’s time to start the work is the time of installation. This can impact the overall cost as well as how long you can be without a driveway. 

Other materials like sandstone, cobblestone, and brick can take much longer to install than concrete. Concrete can be installed in as little as a day if you’re using a local concrete service that does their own work. 

Depending on the material you pick, it can take days or even weeks to get a driveway put in. The material may be on backorder and have to be shipped in from out of state, and scarcity can increase the price even more and increase the time it takes to get your driveway put in exponentially. 

Concrete is readily available, and stamped concrete, along with the benefits it provides, is the cheaper and more efficient option.