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A new residential asphalt driveway should last for 15 to 20 years, depending on how much maintenance you do and the climate you live in. If your area is prone to frequent freezes and thaws or heavy rainfall, you may have to maintain your asphalt driveway more regularly to make it last. Concrete driveways tend to last longer, around 20 to 25 years.

Yes, new asphalt will stick to old asphalt, assuming it’s properly applied by a professional. Your asphalt driveway pro will apply a tack coat to your old driveway, and limit the thickness of the new layer to 1 1/2 inches to two inches thick. New asphalt won’t stick to an extremely damaged asphalt driveway, however—you’ll need to remove the old driveway before installing a new one.

Assuming your old concrete driveway isn’t too damaged, you can pour new concrete on top, assuming the new layer is no more than three to four inches thick. If your old driveway is very damaged, however, you’ll need to remove it entirely and install an all-new concrete driveway.

You maintain an asphalt driveway by sealing it approximately every three years and filling small cracks and holes as soon as you notice them. The process is similar for concrete—you should regularly seal your concrete driveway and patch any cracks or holes you find as soon as possible.