Homeowners often ask whether an old drive can be cleaned, sealed or resurfaced instead of replaced. The right answer depends on what has failed: the visible surface, the joints and colour, the edging, the drainage, or the sub-base underneath.
Quick answer
Clean and seal a driveway that is structurally sound but faded, stained, mossy or losing joint sand. Resurface a sound tarmac drive when the base is stable and the surface is simply tired. Replace the driveway when it has sunk, cracked badly, drains the wrong way or needs a different surface specification.
Resurfacing, cleaning and replacement compared
| Option | Best fit | When to be cautious |
|---|---|---|
| Clean, re-sand and seal | Faded block paving, stained surfaces, weeds, moss and tired tarmac colour | Not a fix for sinking, failed drainage or a weak sub-base. |
| Tarmac overlay / resurfacing | An existing sound tarmac drive that mainly needs a new wearing surface | The existing base must be structurally sound and levels must still work. |
| Full replacement | Failed base, major cracking, poor levels, a new surface choice or drainage redesign | More disruptive, but gives the quote control over excavation, sub-base, edging and drainage. |
When cleaning and sealing may be enough
RKG's cleaning and sealing service covers pressure washing, re-sanding and premium seal for existing driveways. The site states pressure washing alone starts at £10–£12/m², with wash, re-sand and premium seal from £18–£24/m². That makes restoration worth considering before replacing a structurally sound drive.
Cleaning and sealing is most useful when the surface is dirty, faded, stained or losing joint sand, but the drive still feels firm and drains correctly. It is not a substitute for fixing a base that has moved.
When a tarmac overlay can work
RKG's tarmac page describes surface dressing or overlay for an existing sound tarmac drive that is looking tired. In that case, a new 25mm surface course can reuse the existing base and save money compared with a full dig-out.
The important phrase is sound existing base. If the tarmac has ripples, soft areas, deep cracks, edge failure or water falling toward the wrong place, an overlay can trap the same problem under a fresh surface.
When full replacement is safer
A full replacement is usually the safer specification when the driveway has sunk, broken up, lost its edging, drains toward the house or needs a different surface such as resin, block paving or shingle. It lets the quote include excavation, waste removal, an engineered MOT Type 1 sub-base, suitable edging and drainage.
RKG's quote and service pages repeatedly point to sub-base, drainage, edging and access as price and performance factors. If those parts are unknown, comparing a cheap resurfacing quote with a full replacement quote is not like-for-like.
Questions to ask before deciding
- Is the existing base structurally sound? Overlay only makes sense when the base can support it.
- Where does the water go? Poor falls or missing drainage may need redesign before any new surface.
- Are the edges still restrained? Crumbling edges can shorten the life of a fresh surface.
- Is the problem cosmetic or structural? Fading, moss and missing joint sand are different from sinking and cracking.
- Will the quote describe preparation? Ask for excavation, sub-base, edging, drainage and finish to be written down.
What to read next
For restoration work, compare driveway cleaning and sealing. If the surface is tarmac, read the tarmac driveway page and the tarmac vs resin guide. For quote comparison, use the driveway quote checklist and the planning and drainage guide.