Asphalt Driveway With a Paver or Brick Border

A brick or concrete paver border gives a plain blacktop driveway a finished, custom look, and when it's built right, it also helps hold the asphalt edges in place. On a new driveway, the border is usually installed first on a compacted base, often with the pavers set in or backed by concrete, and then the asphalt is paved and rolled flush against it. On an existing driveway, the border can be added along the outside of the current edge or set into a strip cut from the asphalt. Either way, the pavers need a solid base, a restraint on the lawn side, and a finished height that matches the pavement.

Edge repair → Resurfacing a driveway →

Why Add a Border?

Unilock, a paver manufacturer, describes several benefits of paver borders on asphalt driveways:

• Contrast and character, with two, three, or four rows of pavers in a color that complements the house
• Extra width, so there's more room to park and step out of the car
• Edge protection, because the border helps contain the stone base under the asphalt edge
• A place for lighting, if you want low-voltage lights along the drive

Borders also give snowplows and mowers a clear line to follow.

Building an Asphalt Driveway With Brick Border on New Construction

When the driveway is being built from scratch, the border typically goes in before the asphalt.

1. Excavate and build the base for the whole driveway, including the border strip.
2. Set the border on a compacted base. Many installers bed the pavers in concrete or place a concrete backing on the lawn side, which keeps them from drifting outward. Expert Paving and Masonry, an Ontario contractor, describes a project where the brick border was set in concrete before paving.
3. Pave the asphalt up to the border. Hot mix is placed a little higher than finished grade because it compresses under the roller.
4. Roll it flush. In the same project, the crew finished the asphalt flush with the border and machine-rolled it solid.

Kaplan Paving, based in the Chicago suburbs, describes a similar project that combined brick borders with a two-lift asphalt driveway.

A border adds to the overall width, so it helps to know the standard asphalt driveway width for your vehicles.

Adding a Border to an Existing Driveway

Option 1: Outside the Existing Edge

This adds width and is usually simpler.

• Saw-cut the ragged asphalt edge to a clean, straight line.
• Excavate the lawn along the side to the depth of the base plus paver thickness.
• Add and compact crushed stone base.
• Set pavers tight against the asphalt, on a thin bedding layer or in mortar or concrete.
• Install a restraint on the lawn side and backfill with soil.

Option 2: Cut Into the Asphalt

If you don't want a wider driveway, a strip of asphalt along each edge can be saw-cut and removed, the base checked and compacted, and pavers set in the opening. This keeps the overall size the same but involves more cutting.

Either way, if the existing edges are already crumbling, sort that out first. The notes on driveway edge failures explain the common causes.

Choosing Pavers or Brick

• Rated for vehicles. A border that gets driven on needs units made for driveways. Ask the supplier whether a product is rated for vehicle traffic.
• Clay brick vs concrete pavers. Clay brick offers classic reds and browns. Concrete pavers come in more colors and shapes.
• Orientation. Pavers can run lengthwise along the edge or crosswise to it. Crosswise gives a wider, bolder band.
• Number of rows. One row gives a subtle line. Two to four rows make a stronger statement, as Unilock suggests.

If a full border isn't in the budget, see asphalt driveway edging ideas on a budget.

Getting the Height Right

The paver surface and asphalt surface should meet flush, or the pavers should sit a hair lower so water drains off the driveway and across the border. A border that stands proud of the asphalt catches plows, trips people, and traps water.

Maintenance Tips

• Keep sealer off the pavers. Asphalt sealer stains brick and concrete. Tape or shield the border when sealcoating. The article on sealer that gets onto concrete covers cleanup if it happens.
• Refill joint sand if pavers are set on sand.
• Reset any pavers that rock or sink before they damage the asphalt edge.
• Mark the edges before winter so plows don't catch the border.

Planning for Future Resurfacing

If the asphalt is overlaid in the future, the new layer will sit higher than the border unless the contractor mills the old surface first. Discuss this before any overlay. Your choices are explained in this overview of overlay work.

Cost Considerations

A border adds excavation, base stone, pavers or brick, concrete, and skilled labor. Costs depend on border width, paver type, and whether the driveway is new or existing. Adding a border during new construction is usually more efficient than retrofitting. Get quotes from contractors who do both paving and hardscaping, or coordinate the two trades carefully.

Bottom Line on a Paver or Brick Border

An asphalt driveway with brick border looks sharp and helps protect the edges. Build the border on a compacted base with a solid restraint, set it flush with the asphalt, and keep sealer off the pavers. On new driveways, install the border first and pave up to it.