Trusted Peterlee Road Surfacing Contractors

Tarmacadam is often referred to by its brand name of ‘Tarmac’ and is very common on UK roads. The binder in tarmacadam is tar, whereas asphalt uses a bitumen binder. Both terms are often used interchangeably.

Tarmac dries exceptionally quickly, cooling and hardening after about five to eight hours. On the other hand, concrete can take several days to fully cure, meaning that if you’re looking for the quickest installation, tarmac is the material for you.

Top layers of roads generally need resurfacing or surface dressing every 10-15 years. Full road tarmac replacement is often only required after several decades.

Surface dressing is a maintenance and prevention treatment that helps prolong the life of the surface. Surface dressing will re-seal and waterproof a road, whilst also increasing tyre grip to improving braking and overall safety.

Surface dressing involves treating roads which are in relatively good condition with preventative maintenance treatments to maintain their good condition. Resurfacing is a more extensive structural maintenance treatment which involves removing up to 300mm of a worn-out road surface and replacing it with new material.