While some homeowners don’t mind spending the big bucks on driveway design, others just want tuscan topping types that are cost-effective and very appealing.
Tuscan Toppings and Lilydale are the go-to for cheap, attractive, and durable driveway designs.
Your driveway is an important part of your home and deserves a lot more attention. On a visit to new neighbourhoods, you’ll inevitably find a house that steals your attention.
This instant attraction can be attributed to the beautiful porch, building design, landscape, and driveway. Driveways aren’t just useful for parking your cars, but they’re also important for your overall home design.
When your family and friends visit, they’re welcomed by your captivating driveway, which builds anticipation for what’s inside.
Apart from being visually pleasing to those around you, it can also increase your home value and be a major selling point for potential buyers.
So, Tuscan topping or Lilydale topping, which one would work best for you and what other cheap driveway ideas are there? Let’s find out!
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What is tuscan topping?
Tuscan toppings are perfect for decorating your driveway or walkway because of their earthy and terracotta colour.
This topping is made from crushed sandstones, and the particles are up to 20mm.
Many homeowners now lean more towards Tuscan toppings because they’re cost-effective and will look attractive on any driveway.
Tuscan toppings have quite a few advantages:
- It’s a great alternative to concrete and paving, which are on the higher side cost-wise.
- With its DIY nature, you can save some bucks by getting the right equipment and following the basic application method. Most of the cost of this type of topping comes from transportation, so you should keep that in mind.
- Tuscan toppings feel soft under the feet and have impressive drainage qualities.
- It is a low maintenance option, it compacts very well, and it’s also animal-friendly.
- If you decide to use Tuscan topping in your garden, it’ll help regulate soil temperature and control weeds.
- Tuscan toppings aren’t permanent.
The only prominent disadvantage of Tuscan topping is that it produces a lot more dust when dried.
What is lilydale topping?
Lilydale topping is another crushed stone option for homeowners looking for cost-effective ways to design their driveway.
Lilydale toppings are crushed stone from limestone, making them a durable choice for your driveway or pathway.
Just like the Tuscan topping, this crushed stone can be used to elevate the appearance of your driveway. The particles for this topping size are between 10mm-20mm.
Here are some benefits of Lilydale toppings:
- Lilydale toppings are a cheaper alternative to concrete and paving.
- You can lay Lilydale toppings easily on your own without any professional help.
- The particles, when watered lightly, make a firm and levelled surface.
- Lilydale has good drainage qualities and is durable.
- This topping can be removed whenever you wish to switch to a more permanent option.
There are a few disadvantages of Lilydale toppings:
- Lilydale toppings can become a hassle when you must keep watering them to reduce the dust production when dried.
- Lilydale toppings need to be re-leveled from time to time to keep looking neat and appealing.
- Unlike Tuscan topping, Lilydale is a high-maintenance choice for driveways.
What is the best topping for your driveway?
When choosing the right topping for your driveway, you need to consider your building design, family lifestyle and how often you need to maintain it.
While some of these driveway toppings are good to look at, they might not be best suited for your home.
With the pros and cons listed above, you can tell that Tuscan toppings are a better choice for most driveways than Lilydale.
Other cheap topping ideas
You can try a few other cheap topping ideas for your driveway.
Dromana topping
Dromana topping is a cheap and fancy driveway topping gotten from brown granite. This topping has more of a fine material, making it easy to level, and it looks pleasing.
It’s comfortable to walk on even without shoes, making it a great option for people with kids. Dromana toppings can also be laid without too much hassle. Whilst this topping isn’t permanent, taking them out after a while might not be an easy task.
One downside to this driveway topping is that it will release a lot of dust when there’s the movement of cars, kids running around, and so on. You might find yourself cleaning the windows and front doors more often.
Marble chips
Compared to other driveway toppings, marble chips cost a bit more but not as much as concrete or paving.
The stones are white and glitter in the sunlight, making them so aesthetically pleasing. They’re also great for drainage to prevent mud puddles.
On the other hand, marble chips will move around a lot, making it necessary to have a border around them.
They can even get washed away and un-leveled due to heavy rainfall making them high maintenance toppings.
Marble chips might also not feel too comfortable to walk on due to the shape and edges. In addition, they add no value to your plants if you decide to spread them to your garden.
Pea gravel topping
Pea gravel can add a decorative touch to your walkway and driveway, thanks to its beautiful colours.
It’s made up of round stones that are smooth and feel nice when you walk on them. They’re a cheap option for your driveway and can be installed easily.
Another upside to pea gravel is that they’re durable and will last a long time if laid and bordered correctly.
However, this topping can get washed away and scattered if not secured properly. There’s also a high tendency for the pebbles to become displaced when a car drives on them.
Pea gravel also doesn’t lock together because of how smooth the pebbles are. Having to re-level them from time to time makes them high maintenance and probably not the best choice for you.
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