Asphalt is a surfacing material used for road, car park, and driveway construction. It consists of a mixture of aggregate (gravel and sand) and bitumen binder.

Aggregate (granite or laterite/gravel) is dried and and bitumen binder is added, mixed and heated to a temperature (around 150-170 degrees Celsius), to create hot-mix asphalt. NK Asphalt uses hot-mix asphalt for all our projects to meet exacting relevant standards and specifications.

Bitumen is a by-product of the refining process of crude oil and is a heavier end product, lighter ones being petrol, diesel and kerosene among others. This material is liquid at higher temperatures, stiffening as it cools to ambient temperature. It’s the binding agent in producing asphalt.

Both asphalt and concrete provide a good solution for large driveways, car parks, and commercial areas. However, asphalt is preferred for its durability, reduced glare, simple repairs, and fast, affordable resurfacing without the need for initial demolition and removal in most cases along with reduced time between laying and being open to traffic.

Hot mix asphalt has a number of advantages when compared to concrete, brick paving and even recycled asphalt.

The most common asphalt surfaces are roads, car parks, larger driveways, strata residential areas, commercial properties, industrial warehouses, hardstands, racetracks, loading docks, and airport runways/helipads.

Sometimes asphalt is also used for outdoor basketball courts, tennis courts, and playgrounds.

An asphalt hardstand area is thicker than a traditional asphalt surface so it can support heavy loads such as industrial-grade machinery, shipping containers, and large quantities of vehicles or construction equipment.

Asphalt has no need for joints to be installed in the way that concrete requires and is laid to give a virtually one-piece result unlike brick paving, so no added tyre noise from traffic.

Additionally, hot mix asphalt has a smoother dense bound surface, unlike recycled asphalt or bitumen seals which have coarser, loose aggregate surfaces.

Asphalt will not ‘melt’. Asphalt is extremely durable, even in the extreme Australian climate. By comparison, in some cases a bitumen sealed surface is mistakenly assumed to be asphalt. The bitumen seals can sometimes ‘bleed’ as the bitumen rises to cover its aggregate surface, resulting in a shiny, sticky black surface and is caused by a combination of over applied bitumen when constructed, traffic volumes, vehicle loadings and heat. This does not occur with asphalt.

A new asphalt surface can scuff if laid in hotter weather when a car does a stationary power-steering turn. Further traffic will often close up the scuff or can be repaired with a gentle reheat and tamping down, with no long-term detrimental effect.