Known for incredible versatility and long-standing durability, pavement is an ideal choice to cover your property's driveway for a complete and finished look. While you may know a little about pavement, if you are like many homeowners, you will have no idea that pavement is actually more complex than expected. There are actually multiple types of pavement, and each has its own pros and cons.

Before you call up paving contractors to have your driveway paved, make sure you take some time to get familiar with some of the different pavement forms so you can make the best choice for your residential property. 

Perpetual Pavement - Most often used in the construction of highways and roads, perpetual pavement is a structure created with multiple layers of material. The bottom layer of perpetual pavement is most often loose aggregate, so there is always a certain level of flexibility for the more solid upper layers. This multi-layered structure makes perpetual pavement more flexible, more able of withstanding changes in the ground beneath, and less likely to break and crack with repeated stress and heavy weight on the surface. While mostly used in industrial applications, perpetual pavement can also be used in residential settings. 

Porous Asphalt Pavement - If your home is situated in an area where there is high levels of rainfall, traditional (solid-structure pavement) is not such a good idea because erosion can destroy the surface of your new driveway in little time. Porous asphalt pavement is less solid and dense, which allows excess rainwater to filter through the structure and into the ground below. Some porous asphalt pavement will have a more porous upper layer with a solid underlying structure to drain the water away from the material. 

Stone-Matrix Asphalt Pavement - There is a certain level of noise that occurs as a result of the tires of vehicles rolling rapidly over a paved surface. If noise levels are a concern for you, make sure you ask about stone-matrix asphalt pavement to be used to create your driveway. Stone-matrix pavement is created with a mix of stone aggregate and rubber-like materials. This form of pavement is designed to absorb much of the noise that would usually be present, which works well if you have a longer driveway than usual or even if your driveway will be running through a serene natural area that you would rather not disturb with unnatural noise.