Should You Resurface or Replace an Asphalt Driveway?
When industry guidance says an overlay works, what has to be fixed first, and when the problem is underneath.
The Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association says an existing driveway can be overlaid with 1.5 to 2 inches of hot-mix asphalt to improve and strengthen it, once weak spots, holes and large cracks are cut out and patched. Its separate guidance for the base, grading the subgrade and undercutting weak spots, applies when a driveway is built from the ground up.
When an overlay works
The Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association's driveway brief, published by the Asphalt Institute, says existing driveways can be overlaid with hot-mix asphalt to improve their condition, strengthen them and extend their service life. It says an overlay of 1.5 to 2 inches of surface mix is usually sufficient.
What has to happen first
Before overlaying, it says the site should be inspected and distressed areas such as weak spots, holes and large cracks cut out and patched with hot-mix asphalt. The surface should be clean and dry, a tack coat is recommended on old weathered surfaces, and the new surface should be smooth enough not to pond water.
When the problem is underneath
For a new driveway, the same brief says the subgrade should be graded smooth, free of organic material, with weak spots undercut and replaced, on 6 to 8 inches of crushed aggregate, with drainage, crown and slopes addressed. The National Asphalt Pavement Association calls standing water the leading cause of driveway failure. An overlay adds new surface on top; the base and drainage guidance applies to what is underneath, so where the trouble comes from is what the estimate looks at.
Height
An overlay raises the surface by its own thickness, which the Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association puts at 1.5 to 2 inches. Where the driveway meets a garage floor, walk or road is worth checking at the estimate.
Keep reading
Frequently Asked Questions
The Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association says yes, an overlay of 1.5 to 2 inches, after weak spots, holes and large cracks are cut out and patched and a tack coat is applied to weathered surfaces.
The Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association's overlay guidance covers a surface whose weak spots can be cut out and patched; its base guidance (subgrade graded, weak spots undercut, 6 to 8 inches of crushed aggregate, drainage addressed) covers building from the ground up. NAPA calls standing water the leading cause of driveway failure.
Sources
The figures on this page come from these sources, read on 2026-09-25. None of them is South State Paving's own claim.
- Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association (published by the Asphalt Institute), Best Practices for the Use of Asphalt Driveways, technical brief
- National Asphalt Pavement Association, Hiring an Asphalt Contractor for Driveways