Tarmac, SMA, concrete, block or porous: choosing a commercial surface
The five surfaces most often weighed up for car parks, yards and estate roads, what each is good at and where each struggles, with the base underneath them all.
For car parks, yards and estate roads in Kildare, Dublin and the surrounding counties, five surfaces come up again and again. Each does some jobs well and others badly, and the choice matters less than what goes under it.
The five surfaces at a glance
| Surface | Good at | Struggles with | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarmac (asphalt) | Quick to lay, in use within hours, easy to repair, low cost per square metre | Tight heavy turning, fuel spills; needs falls to drain | Car parks, estate roads, yards |
| SMA wearing course | Resists rutting, dense finish, quieter, sheds water | Needs a sound base and binder course below | Busy aisles, entrances, estate roads |
| Concrete | Heavy standing loads, fuel spills, scuffing | Curing time, joints, slow to repair, higher cost | Loading bays, bin stores, fuel areas |
| Block paving | Looks, lifts and relays after repairs, marks bays without paint | Cost over large areas; blocks shift under heavy turning | Pedestrian areas, entrances, features |
| Porous asphalt | Lets water soak through to an open stone base | Needs a designed base and regular sweeping | Car parks with a drainage condition |
Tarmac
Tarmac is stone bound with bitumen, laid hot by a paving machine and rolled, usually as a stronger binder course with a finer wearing course on top. It is the default for car parks and estate roads because it is quick to lay, costs less than the alternatives over a large area and can be repaired in sections.
SMA tarmacadam
SMA (stone mastic asphalt) is a wearing course with a high share of coarse stone held in a rich bitumen mortar. The stones lock together, which resists rutting and gives a tight, dense finish. It is widely used on national roads.
Delaney Tarmac lays every tarmac surface by machine as a binder course with an SMA wearing course on top, on a sub-base matched to the ground. On commercial ground that gives most sites the best balance of durability, cost and ease of repair.
Concrete and block paving
Many sites mix surfaces: concrete where lorries stand and turn, block paving at the entrance or around the building, tarmac everywhere else. Each goes where its strengths count.
Porous asphalt
Porous asphalt leaves out the fine material so water drains through into an open stone base, which holds it and lets it soak away. It is used where planning conditions call for sustainable drainage, including some school car park specifications. It suits car parks better than areas with heavy, turning lorries.
What matters more than the surface
"The base is everything. If the sub-base is wrong, the whole thing fails inside three years."
Paul Delaney, Delaney Tarmac
Not sure which surface suits your site?
Paul will look at the ground, the traffic and the drainage and recommend a surface, with the reasons set out in a written quote.
Commercial surfacingAbout Paul Delaney
Founder & Lead Driveway Contractor
Paul has 45 years in the trade installing tarmacadam, resin bound driveways, porcelain patios and natural stone across Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow, Offaly and Laois. He writes from his own experience on site, not from desk research.
More about PaulFREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS.
MORE FROM THE BLOG.
Tarmac vs resin vs block paving: which driveway is right for your Dublin home?
The three most common driveway surfaces in Dublin do different jobs. Here is the honest comparison o...
The cost of porcelain patios in Dublin in 2026
Porcelain patios in Dublin cost between €110 and €200 per square metre, all-in. Tile size, thickness...
Resin driveway cost in Dublin: the full 2026 price guide
A resin driveway in Dublin costs €150 to €250 per square metre, all-in. Here is the full 2026 price ...