Goodbye Boring Concrete: The Bold Driveway Design That Looks So Dazzling

You probably only pay attention to your driveway once every few years when it's time to reseal it. Most people view this as a costly inconvenience (the average driveway costs a few hundred dollars to reseal), but it is necessary to protect your driveway from UV rays and ice damage. Resealing also improves the appearance of your driveway. You can apply sparkle grain to the tar emulsion sealer to enhance the driveway's appearance.

Sparkle grain creates a stunning effect, especially when illuminated at night. As you pull into your driveway in the evenings, the asphalt will glitter with reflected light. While the aesthetic appeal is the main selling point, the bits of iridescent silicon carbide give the driveway a little more traction, especially when you need it on a rainy day. 

This is one of many clever driveway layouts sure to boost curb appeal. For instance, you can complement the sparkle grain (or any driveway) by lining it with LED lights.

Sparkle grain is made of either black or white material and costs around $4 a pound. To seal a driveway, your contractor must pour your coal tar over the asphalt and spread it across the surface with squeegees. While the asphalt is still wet, they will fill a bucket with sparkle grain and toss it on the surface. Some contractors also fill funnels with the grain and feed it into a hopper that will spread it. The following day, they should put muriatic acid and water on the driveway to expose the grains.

Even if you decide not to apply sparkle grain, remember that periodic sealing is a must-do task to prepare your concrete driveway for the winter, especially if you live in an area with heavy snow and ice storms. Sparkle grain doesn't provide very much additional traction, so if that's something you need, resin-bound gravel is a simple upgrade that will make your driveway more functional.