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10 tarmac driveway ideas for 2025

Looking to give your driveway a much needed makeover? Check out our tarmac driveway design ideas.

Tarmac will always be a popular driveway choice for homeowners. It’s durable, low maintenance and is relatively affordable to install.

Tarmac is a mix of aggregates and tar that offers a smooth and seamless finish that’s ideal for modern homes.

If you’re set on a tarmac driveway but looking for ideas to inspire your project then keep reading.

If you’re wondering how much to budget, take a look at our tarmac driveway cost guide.

Tarmac driveway edging ideas

tarmac edging

Brick border

Installing a brick paved border around a tarmac driveway is a design staple that looks timeless. The border sat next to black tarmac provides a striking contrast and it looks effortlessly sleek and tidy.

Raised flower beds

tarmac driveway with raised flower beds

Tarmac can feel quite industrial and so it can be good idea to soften the look of a tarmac driveway with raised flower beds.

Create edging with any material you’d like, paving slabs, bricks or timber and make sure they are deep enough to contain soil and plants. We recommend planting a mixture of shrubs and flowers, so you’ll have colour in the summer and will still be left with some greenery in the winter.

Paving edge

Use cobblestone edging to add a rustic feel to a tarmac driveway. Although tarmac is extremely practical, it can feel quite plain and visually uninteresting. Installing edging that has a little more personality to it will completely transform the overall look of your driveway.

Try and find cobblestones at a reclamation yard and source them second hand. Not only will they have more character, but it’s also a good way to recycle.

Gravel edging

With everything interior and exterior design, texture is an integral component. Due to the nature of tarmac, it’s an extremely flat and smooth material when it’s set, so adding something more textured to the edge of it like gravel can immediately add visual interest.

Grass border

tarmac driveway and front garden

Counteract the industrial feel of tarmac with a grass border. You will need to use some sort of material to finish off the edges of your tarmac driveway but if you plant grass immediately next to it, it will create a lovely effect and will distract the eye from the vastness of the tarmac.

Coloured tarmac driveway ideas

red coloured tarmac

Tarmac comes in a variety of colours but there are a certain few that come out on top due to their versatility and overall appearance.

You may only be aware of black tarmac driveways but if you want something with a little more depth, there are other options you can choose from.

Neutral tones

One of the most popular colours to go for with tarmac is a neutral. Whether that be a sandy or beige shade, a light coloured tarmac is a great option for a contemporary home.

A lot of people assume that tarmac only comes in black as this is often what we see, however black can look quite jarring if it’s not put in front of the right property.

Red tones

For something a bit warmer in tone, red tarmac is also a relatively popular tarmac colour.

It may feel a bit bold for some but for others it creates a warm and inviting feel. And of course this doesn’t have to be bright red, it’s more of a rusty terracotta shade which feels much more obtainable.

Blue tones

Blue coloured tarmac is popular with commercial properties and sports facilities. You don’t often see it used on residential driveways however this doesn’t mean it isn’t an option.

Like all other shades you can choose between a bright blue to more of a muted blue shade.

Green tones

Green coloured tarmac is another colour we don’t see too often, however it’s still an option. It can mimic the look of grass so it blends in well with properties that are situated in more rural areas.

Black

black tarmac driveway

Black is the colour we associate the most with tarmac as it is probably the design we see the most. One thing to bear in mind is that black attracts the sun so it can get extremely hot very quickly, so it’s not ideal for warm climates.

However, black is extremely versatile and will suit the exterior of most contemporary properties.

Why not contact a tradesperson today to get the driveway of your dreams?

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