For a driveway in Baton Rouge, concrete is usually the best long-term choice. For some patios and paths, pavers do better. Below are the choices people ask about most, with reasons.
The dollar figures on this page are national ranges published by HomeGuide for 2026. They are not quotes from Baton Rouge Concrete Solutions. What you pay in Baton Rouge depends on local labor and material prices, access to the site and how much base work the clay under your slab needs. Last checked October 2026.
Concrete or asphalt for a driveway?
Concrete, for most Baton Rouge homes. Nationally an asphalt driveway is $5 to $12 or more per square foot and a 20x20 is $2,000 to $4,800, against $6 to $15 for concrete. Asphalt is cheaper to lay and bends more over moving ground. But it softens in long hot summers, dents under trailer jacks and kickstands, and needs sealing every few years. Concrete stays hard in heat and lasts longer.
Poured concrete or pavers?
Pavers cost $10 to $17 per square foot installed nationally, and a 20x20 paver patio is $3,800 to $6,800. A plain concrete patio is $4 to $12. Pavers have one big advantage on our clay and near our oaks: when the ground moves, you lift the affected pavers, fix the base and put them back. A cracked slab cannot be undone. Pavers need a well-built base and edge restraint, and weeds and ants find the joints.
How thick should a concrete driveway be?
Four inches is the usual minimum for cars. On Baton Rouge clay we often suggest five inches, with thicker edges, because the soil gives uneven support. If a heavy pickup, a boat, a camper or a work trailer will park on it, plan on six inches where it sits. Thickness is the cheapest strength you can buy on pour day and you cannot add it later.
Do I need rebar or wire mesh?
On our soil, yes. Rebar or mesh does not prevent cracking. It keeps cracks tight and stops one side from dropping below the other. Rebar on a grid, held up on supports so it sits in the middle of the slab, does this better than mesh that gets walked down to the bottom. Fibers in the mix help with fine surface cracks but do not replace steel on clay.
What PSI concrete do I need?
For home driveways and patios, mixes of 3,000 to 4,000 PSI are the common range. Stronger is not automatically better. A good base, the right thickness, correct joints and proper curing matter more than an extra 500 PSI. Too much water added at the site to make the mix easier to place lowers the real strength, whatever the ticket says.
Is stamped concrete worth it?
Stamped concrete is worth it if you want the look of stone or brick in one solid surface and you accept the upkeep. It costs $8 to $19 per square foot nationally. It needs resealing, it can be slick if sealed glossy, and a crack through a pattern is harder to hide than one in plain concrete. For a patio you look at every day, many people think it is money well spent. For a working driveway, plain broom finish is the sensible pick.
Should I seal my new concrete, and how often does it need sealing?
You do not have to seal new concrete in Baton Rouge the way owners do where roads are salted. A penetrating sealer still helps against oil, rust and mildew stains. Wait until the slab has cured, about 28 days, unless the product is a cure-and-seal made for fresh concrete. How often depends on the product and the wear. Film sealers on decorative work need renewing more often than penetrating sealers on plain slabs. Cleaning and sealing costs $1 to $3 per square foot nationally, or $575 to $1,700 for a two-car driveway.
Broom finish or smooth finish? And what about a steep driveway?
Broom finish outdoors. It grips when wet, hides small marks and costs nothing extra. A smooth troweled finish belongs inside a garage or shop, where it is easy to sweep. Outdoors it turns slick in rain and under mildew. For a steep driveway or a ramp, a heavy broom drawn across the slope, or grooves cut across it, gives tires and shoes something to hold.
What does a hot tub pad need?
A filled hot tub with people in it weighs several thousand pounds on a small footprint. The pad should be flat, at least four inches thick with steel, on compacted base, and big enough to stand on around the tub. Flat matters more than for other slabs, since the shell needs even support. Follow the tub maker's written requirements, and have the electrician's conduit in before the pour.
I want a shop slab for a vehicle lift or heavy equipment. What should I ask for?
Start with the lift maker's installation sheet. A vehicle lift needs a stated minimum slab thickness and concrete strength under its posts, and anchor bolts must sit in solid concrete away from joints and edges. Heavy equipment needs a thicker slab on a stronger base. Tell us the heaviest item and where it will stand. A shop slab is a building slab, so it comes under a permit.
Do I need gravel under a slab, and do I need a vapor barrier?
You need a firm, even base, and on clay that usually means a layer of compacted crushed stone or select fill. Gravel under a slab spreads the load and stops the concrete sitting straight on soil that turns to putty when wet. A vapor barrier is plastic sheeting under the slab. Use one under any enclosed space where flooring, coatings or stored goods would suffer from damp. Open driveways and patios do not need one.
What does a pad need if delivery trucks will drive on it?
More of everything. A delivery truck or a concrete truck puts far more weight on each tire than a car. A pad that takes them needs to be thicker, six inches or more, with rebar, a deeper compacted base and joints that pass load from one panel to the next. Thin edges break first, so the edges are thickened. Tell us what kind of truck and how often.
My pool deck is worn. Resurface, pavers or new poured concrete?
Resurface if the pool deck is level and solid. That costs $3 to $6 per square foot nationally and gives new texture and color. Choose pavers if you expect more movement or may need to reach plumbing under the deck later. Choose new poured concrete if panels have sunk or tilted toward the pool, since a coating will not correct that. In each case use a light, textured surface.
My patio is poured against the house. What should go between them?
An isolation joint. That is a strip of compressible material set between the patio and the house slab or wall before the pour. It lets the patio move with the clay without pushing on the house or cracking along the wall. People also call it an expansion joint. The top is sealed so rain does not run down beside the foundation. The same joint goes around posts, steps and where a driveway meets the garage floor.
The only real price is one written after we have seen your property. The estimate is free. Call (225) 434-4721 or text us a few photos.