Each material has a place. The right one depends on the slope, what will drive on it, how you feel about upkeep and how it handles a winter of freezing, thawing and salt.
The dollar figures on this page are national numbers that HomeGuide published for 2026. They are not quotes from Pittsburgh Concrete Experts. Slope, access, haul-away, local labor and material costs all push a Pittsburgh job up or down from them. Last checked October 2026.
Concrete or asphalt for a driveway?
Asphalt costs a little less up front and concrete lasts longer with less upkeep. An asphalt driveway is published at $5 to $12 or more per square foot, $2,000 to $4,800 for a 20x20. Concrete is $6 to $15 per square foot. Asphalt flexes with frost and shrugs off salt, but it needs resealing and softens under a hot sun. Concrete stays rigid, gives better grip on a slope when broom finished and can be colored or stamped. It needs air-entrained mix and care with deicer in the first winter.
Poured concrete or pavers?
Pavers suit patios and walks where you want pattern and easy spot repairs. A paver patio is published at $10 to $17 per square foot, $3,800 to $6,800 for a 20x20, against $4 to $12 for plain concrete. Pavers can be lifted and relaid after frost movement, but joints grow weeds and the units can shift on a slope. Poured concrete is one piece, easier to shovel and usually costs less.
How thick should a concrete driveway be?
Four inches is the usual minimum for cars, and five to six inches is better where pickups, delivery vans or a camper will park. The edge at the street takes the most abuse and is often thickened. Thickness only works on top of compacted stone. A thick slab on soft wet clay still fails.
Do I need rebar or wire mesh?
For a driveway here we recommend one or the other. Rebar or wire mesh does not prevent cracks. It keeps cracked pieces locked together so frost cannot lift one edge above the next. Rebar on chairs is the stronger choice for driveways and anything on a slope. Mesh or fiber is common in walks and patios. Steel has to sit in the middle of the slab, not on the dirt.
What PSI concrete do I need?
For outdoor flatwork in a freeze-thaw climate, a mix of about 4,000 PSI with air entrainment is the usual specification, and 4,500 PSI is used where deicing salt is heavy. Air entrainment matters as much as strength. It puts tiny bubbles in the concrete that give freezing water room to expand. Indoor slabs that never freeze do not need it.
Is stamped concrete worth it?
Stamped concrete is worth it for a patio or walk where looks matter and you accept resealing every few years. It gives a stone or brick look in one slab with no joints to heave. Think harder before stamping a driveway here. Plows, shovels and salt wear the sealer and color, and a sealed stamped surface on a slope can be slick unless grit is added.
Should I seal new concrete, and how often does it need sealing?
Yes. Seal new concrete once it has cured, usually after about a month, and before its first winter if the timing allows. A penetrating sealer that repels water and salt is the best match for our weather. How often depends on wear. Every two to five years is typical for penetrating sealers, and decorative film sealers need redoing more often. Cleaning and sealing is published at $1 to $3 per square foot, or $575 to $1,700 for a two-car driveway.
Broom finish or smooth finish? What finish for a steep driveway?
Use a broom finish outdoors. A smooth troweled surface is for garages and indoor floors, and it turns dangerous with a film of ice. For a steep driveway, which Pittsburgh has plenty of, go further: a heavy broom drawn across the slope, or grooves tooled into the surface, gives tires and shoes something to bite. Exposed aggregate is another option with good grip.
What does a hot tub pad need?
A hot tub pad needs to be flat, at least four inches thick with reinforcement, and built on compacted stone. A filled tub with people in it weighs several thousand pounds. On a sloped yard the pad may need a thickened edge or a short wall on the low side. Leave room for the cover lifter, the electrical disconnect and a path that is not slippery.
What does a shop slab need for a vehicle lift or heavy equipment?
Follow the lift maker's requirements. They state a minimum thickness and concrete strength where the posts anchor, and many call for thickened pads at those points. For heavy equipment, a slab of six inches or more with rebar on a well-compacted base is common. Tell us what is going in before the pour, since adding thickness later means cutting the floor out.
Do I need gravel under a slab, and do I need a vapor barrier?
Yes to gravel under almost every slab here. Four to six inches of compacted crushed stone drains water away from the underside, which is the main defense against frost heave on clay. A vapor barrier is for slabs under enclosed, heated or finished space, such as a garage you will coat, a basement floor or an addition. It stops ground moisture rising through. Outdoor patios and driveways do not use one.
What about a pad that takes delivery trucks?
A pad that takes delivery trucks or a loaded dumpster truck needs more than a car slab: typically six inches or thicker, rebar, a stronger base and joints placed with wheel paths in mind. Tell us the heaviest vehicle and how often it comes. For businesses we also plan where trucks turn, because turning tires do the damage.
For a pool deck, should I resurface, use pavers or pour new concrete?
Resurface a pool deck when the slab is level and only worn or stained. That is published at $3 to $6 per square foot. Choose pavers if you want easy access to plumbing later. Pour new when panels have sunk or tilted toward the pool. Whatever you pick, use a textured, light-colored finish, and remember the deck sits through winter under snow, so the surface and sealer must handle freezing.
What goes between a patio and the house?
An isolation joint, sometimes called an expansion joint. It is a strip of compressible material between the new slab and the foundation wall. The patio will rise and fall slightly with frost and the house will not, so the two must not be bonded. The joint is sealed at the top to keep water from running down the wall.
For a real number, we need to see the site. Call (412) 725-2024 or text a few photos, and we will set up a free on-site estimate with a written quote.