Driveway Tarring, Laid on a Base That Holds
A hard black driveway that does not sink in the wheel tracks or crack up after two summers. We strip it, build the sub-base, prime it, and lay the tar hot.
- Free site visit, written quote, priced per square metre
- Sub-base itemised separately — you can see what you are paying for
- Most driveways done in one to three days
We measure on site. No telephone quotes.
The usual story
Ruts, cracks, puddles, and mud in the winter
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It sank where the car parks.
The base was never compacted, so the weight found the soft spot.
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It cracked into a pattern like crocodile skin.
That is alligator cracking, and it means the ground under the tar is moving.
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Water sits on it after rain.
The falls were never set, so the surface holds water and the water works into the base.
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The edges are crumbling away.
No edge restraint. Tar with nothing holding its edge breaks off a bit at a time, every time a wheel runs over it.
Every one of those is a base problem. None of them is fixed by more tar on top.
The build
What a properly built driveway looks like underneath
Most of what you are paying for on a driveway is not the black part. It is the 100 to 150 mm of compacted stone under it, and the shape that was cut before that stone went down.
- 01
Strip and shape
Topsoil and organic material off, cut to level, falls set so water runs off the driveway and away from the house.
- 02
Sub-base
G5 crushed stone in layers, watered and compacted. Depth is set by what will drive on it — a bakkie and a delivery van are not the same load.
- 03
Prime coat
MC-30 bitumen prime, so the asphalt bonds instead of sitting loose on the stone.
- 04
Asphalt
6 mm stone for a smooth domestic finish, 9 mm where there is more traffic or a steeper slope. Laid hot, screeded, rolled straight away.
- 05
Edges and clean-up
Edges cut straight, or kerbed if the driveway needs the restraint. Spillage lifted, the site swept and blown.
Book a free site visit
Ten minutes on site is all a driveway takes to measure.
How it Works
Three steps, and you know the price before step three
- 01
We come out and measure
Bring us to the driveway. We look at what is under it, check where the water goes, and measure. Saturday mornings 08:00–13:00 work well.
- 02
You get it in writing
Per square metre, with the sub-base as its own line and the number of days on it. If the ground is worse than it looked, you hear that now, not later.
- 03
We lay it and we clean up
One to three days for most driveways. Nothing goes down in the rain. In summer we start before sunrise so it is rolled before the storms.
Why Choose Us
Why homeowners take our quote over the cheaper one
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We build the base, and we show it to you
Sub-base, compaction, prime coat, then tar. It is itemised on your quote as its own line, so you can hold it against a quote that has not got one.
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A price before we start
Written, per square metre, off an actual measure-up. No telephone quotes. No number that grows halfway through.
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We are in Joburg every day
East Rand base, metro service area. Not a national call centre that sends whoever is free.
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The crew that quotes is the crew that arrives
We do not subcontract the lay. James quotes every job himself.
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Saturday mornings, 08:00–13:00
Most contractors are weekday-only. Saturday is when you are actually home to walk the driveway with us.
What it costs
What moves the price on a driveway
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Area in m²
Everything is per square metre, measured on site.
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What is under it now
Firm ground is less work than clay. Old tar can sometimes be milled and reused.
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Base depth
Set by the load, not by the price you were hoping for.
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Slope
A steep driveway needs a coarser mix and more care rolling it.
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Access
If the truck cannot reach it, material moves by hand, and that is time.
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Edges
Cut edge, kerb, or a channel — priced separately so you can choose.
Free site visit. Written quote. No obligation.
Service Area
We tar driveways across the metro
East Rand base, whole-metro service area. No walk-in office — tell us the suburb and we come to the job.
Areas We Serve:
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Alberton
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Edenvale
- Bedfordview
- Springs
- Brakpan
- Sandton
- Midrand
- Roodepoort
Somewhere not on the list? Phone us. If it is in the metro, we probably come out to it.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How thick should a tarred driveway be?
For a normal domestic driveway we lay around 30 mm of asphalt over a compacted sub-base. The asphalt thickness matters far less than the base under it — 50 mm of tar on soft ground still fails, and 30 mm on a properly compacted G5 base does not.
How long before I can drive on it?
Usually the next day. It goes down hot and needs to cool and set. We will tell you on the day, because it depends on the weather and how thick we laid it.
Can you tar a steep driveway?
Yes. We use a coarser mix on a steep slope so it grips, and we take more care with the rolling. Steep driveways also need the falls and the drainage thought through properly, because water runs faster and does more damage.
My driveway is only cracked in a few places. Can you patch it?
We can, and sometimes that is the right answer. But cracking in a pattern usually means the base is moving, and patching the top does not stop that. We will look at it and tell you straight which one you have.
What is the difference between tar and asphalt?
In practice, nothing — most people say “tar” and the trade writes “asphalt”. It is hot bitumen mixed with stone, laid and rolled. We use both words on this site for that reason.
Do you tar driveways in complexes and estates?
Yes, including shared access roads. Those usually need a deeper base than a single driveway because delivery vehicles use them. We are used to working around residents and to body corporate approval timelines. More on access roads and yards →
Where can I find driveway tarring near me on the East Rand?
We are based on the East Rand and we come out across the whole metro. Phone 064 856 3715 and tell us the suburb — there is no office to come to, we come to the job.
Do I need to be there when you quote?
It helps. We would rather walk it with you so you can point out what bothers you and we can show you where the water is going. That is why we offer Saturday morning visits.
Get In Touch
Get a driveway that is still flat in ten years
Free site visit. Written quote, per square metre, with the sub-base as its own line. Most driveways take one to three days. We sweep up before we go.
- You phone, or send the form.
- Lerato books a time, usually within one working day.
- James comes out and measures.
- You get the quote in writing. Nothing happens until you say so.