There are many kinds of driveway you can have, from asphalt to concrete, block paving to gravel to rubber resin, But a rubber crumb driveway is an option that many householders have found suits them extremely well.

Not everyone knows much about them, so it is useful to learn about what a rubber crumb driveway is, the pros and cons and why it may be the right thing for you and your home.

As the name suggests, it is made of rubber and the crumbs actually come from ground-up tyre rubber, so the first tick in the box in its favour is the fact that this is an eco-friendly means of recycling used tyres instead of them ending up in landfill.

Being made of rubber, it has the same benefits as a resin driveway in being weatherproof. Any amount of stereotypical Manchester weather can pour down on it and will wash away, leaving no puddles and not deteriorating as a result.

Nor will it suffer damage from freeze-thaw, which happens to hard surfaces when water gets into cracks and expands as it turns to ice.

Another great benefit in cold weather is that the surface is grippy, so you don’t slip or slide on wet or icy days, whether you are walking on it or driving. And if were to fall on it, the landing would be an awful lot softer than concrete, asphalt or block paving.

Maintenance is also easy, as it is simple to clean, as long as you don’t use any substances that corrode rubber, while it can be produced in various colour options, giving you some attractive choices.

That is not to say there are no possible downsides; Driveway Planner, for instance, lists three: that because it is impermeable the water has to go somewhere, so there could be an issue with water run-off. Secondly, it is not cheap and finally, there may be question marks over its long-term durability.

Drainage is an issue in many households, but that should not be a problem primarily for your driveway as you don’t want to park in a big puddle. 

Therefore, the sensible thing to do is to make sure there are good means of escape for water running off the driveway, such as French drains or permeable garden surfaces (such as gravel under the turf or artificial lawn). These are things you should be doing with your garden anyway to improve its drainage and prevent flooding.

Cost is, of course, always a moot point: You can get a driveway very cheaply but it probably won’t last, so it works out more expensive in the longer run. Rubber crumb driveways won’t last as long as higher-quality hard surfaces, however, unless the latter starts sustaining cracks.

Indeed, as Sher-Way notes, lifetime duration alone is not the only cost or durability issue you must consider, as hard surface driveways can also incur repair costs, such as when cracks appear and are widened by Freeze-thaw.

Therefore, there are no compelling reasons not to have a rubber crumb driveway, while there are several very positive reasons to do so, from aesthetics and good drainage to safety and the environment.