The smart choice for
New York homeowners.
Helping homeowners, farms, and businesses across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes build durable driveways and roads with professional stone & oil paving. Honest work. Fair pricing. Rock Solid results.
Oil & stone flexes where blacktop cracks.
The stone surface holds traction in snow and ice.
And it looks like it belongs on an upstate property.
A driveway built in two full courses.
Oil and stone, also called tar and chip or chip seal, starts with a compacted gravel base. Liquid asphalt is sprayed hot over it, crushed stone is spread on top and rolled in, and then the whole thing is done a second time. Two full courses, not one.
Doubling up is what gives the finished drive its depth of stone and its life. The result holds up to New York weather without an annual reseal cycle, and it keeps the natural look of stone without the ruts and washout of loose gravel. Like any sealed surface it sheds water rather than soaking it up, so the grading underneath is what sends run-off where it should go.
Built for this climate, not in spite of it.
Blacktop is the default around here, so it is worth being specific about where the two surfaces actually differ. This is how they behave on upstate New York properties, through an upstate winter.
| How it behaves | Oil & Stone | Asphalt | Concrete |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freeze-thaw movement | Flexes with the ground | Cracks and heaves | Cracks without joints |
| Traction in snow and ice | Textured stone surface | Smooth, more so as it wears | Smooth |
| Resealing | Optional top-coat only | Every 3 to 5 years | Occasional |
| Repairs | Top-coat blends in | Patches stay visible | Patches stay visible |
| Finish | Natural stone | Uniform black slab | Grey slab |
General characteristics of each surface type, for comparison. Base condition, grade, and drainage all affect how any driveway performs on a given property, which is what the site visit is for.
Made for upstate property and weather.
Built for freeze-thaw
The cracking that wrecks asphalt every winter does not hit chip seal the same way. The surface flexes instead of splitting.
Handles long driveways
A long approach off a rural road moves and drains differently end to end. A chip seal surface takes that in stride from the road all the way to the house.
Form meets function
The crushed limestone reads as part of the landscape rather than a slab dropped on it. It is also fully crushed with no rounded faces, which is exactly why it keys into the oil and stays put.
Better traction in winter
The rougher stone surface grips better than smooth blacktop when the snow and ice roll in.
Serving the Southern Tier and the Finger Lakes.
We cover the Southern Tier from Binghamton and Owego up through the Chenango and Susquehanna valleys and out into Delaware and Otsego counties. West of there we work the strip between the lakes, from Watkins Glen up the east shore of Seneca, across the ridge through Ovid and Interlaken, and down the west shore of Cayuga into Trumansburg and Ithaca. If your town is nearby and not listed, reach out anyway.
Southern Tier
Catskills
Central New York
Seneca Lake East Shore
Cayuga Lake West Shore
A straight, predictable process.
Free site visit and quote
We come out, measure, check the base, and give you a firm number. Usually within 24 to 48 hours of your request.
Base prep and grading
We grade and compact the base and build in the pitch and edges, so run-off has a route off the drive before any surface goes down.
First course of oil and stone
Hot liquid asphalt is sprayed across the prepared base, crushed stone is spread into it, and the whole run is rolled to bed the stone down.
Second course of oil and stone
Then we do it again. A second spray and a second layer of stone, rolled in on top of the first, which is what builds the depth and the life of the surface.
Final compaction
A last pass with the roller locks everything together. Most drives are installed in a day and are ready to drive on the next.
The same driveway, before and after.
A recent stone & oil resurfacing on a rural upstate property. Drag each slider to see the difference. Cracked, rutted gravel turned into a clean, durable surface built for country roads and long drives.
Where form meets function.
Real finished driveways from around the region. The stone we run as standard is crushed limestone with a cool blue-gray finish, and it is chosen for both halves of the job. It looks the way a good drive should look, and because it is fully crushed with no rounded faces, every piece keys into the oil and stays locked there.
Rated 5.0 out of 5 on Google.
Every word below is a real review from a real customer, left on our Google profile. Two of them are the same driveways photographed further up this page.
My driveway previously washed out twice, with loose stone mostly landing in my garage and backyard. We really tested out the new drain in front of the garage and driveway itself with heavy rain hours after finishing the job this week. Everything held up PERFECTLY! … They exceeded my expectations with the completed product and were so quick, professional, and efficient. Zero mess left over!
I am so happy with my driveway that was done today! It went from an old, cracked driveway to a brand new driveway with zero cracks and a beautiful appearance!! The men who accomplished this were personable, courteous and gave me a very fair price!!! I highly recommend them!!!!
I had an old concrete pad left behind from a garage that had burned down years ago. Every winter it crumbled more and more … They removed all of the old concrete, hauled everything away, regraded the area, filled it with quality topsoil, and seeded it for new grass. The finished area is perfectly level, looks fantastic, and the new grass is already coming in.
What people ask before they book.
How much does an oil and stone driveway cost?
Oil and stone (tar and chip) typically runs in the range of $2 to $4 per square foot installed. What moves the number is driveway size, the condition of the base underneath, drainage work, and the stone you pick. We give you a firm figure after a free site visit rather than a guess over the phone.
How long does an oil and stone driveway last?
With proper base prep and installation, an oil and stone driveway generally lasts 10 to 15 years. A light top-coat refresh every 5 to 7 years keeps heavily used drives looking new.
Do I need to seal it like asphalt?
Not the way asphalt demands. There is no annual reseal cycle to stay on top of and no window where the driveway is off limits while a coat cures. Plenty of owners do choose a maintenance top-coat every several years to refresh the color and top up the stone on a drive that works hard, but that is something you decide to do when you want it, not a bill that arrives on a schedule.
What is the difference between oil and stone, tar and chip, and chip seal?
They are different names for the same thing. Liquid asphalt is sprayed over a compacted base, then crushed stone is spread on top and rolled in. Some regions call it oil and stone, others call it tar and chip or chip seal. We build ours as a double, repeating the spray and the stone a second time over the first.
Can you install on a long or rural driveway?
Yes, and that is where oil and stone shines. A long approach crosses changing grade and drainage, and a flexible surface handles that movement better than a rigid one. Long drives, lake access roads, and shared private roads are routine work for us.
What about hills and slopes?
Oil and stone works well on most grades. On steeper sections we adjust the stone and application so the surface stays stable. We assess slope during the site visit.
What time of year do you install?
Installation season in upstate New York runs roughly May through October, when temperatures are warm enough for the asphalt to cure properly. We book the season in advance, so earlier is better.
How is it different from a plain gravel driveway?
Gravel stays loose, scatters, and washes out. Oil and stone locks the stone into a sprayed asphalt layer, so you keep the natural stone look without the ruts, dust, and constant regrading of loose gravel.
How does install day work?
After base prep and grading, we spray the liquid asphalt, spread the crushed stone and roll it in, then do the whole thing again as a second course. A typical driveway is installed in about a day and is usually drivable the next day.
Let’s get your project started.
Tell us about the property and we will get back to you to set up a visit. We look at the drive in person before we talk numbers, because that is the only way the number means anything. No payment up front, no pressure.
- Roughly how long your driveway is
- Your current surface (gravel, dirt, asphalt)
- Where the property is
- Your timeline, if you have one
Prefer to talk? Call (607) 325-7717. We usually reply within one business day.
Let’s get your driveway on the schedule.
Free site visit, a firm quote, and a finish that fits the property.