concrete driveway repair

[Stan Calow]

Anyone had good experience with repairing concrete driveway/sidewalks? I have a lot of ugly spalling and crumbling, getting worse every winter. I am reluctant to pay for a complete replacement so wondering if there are any good overlay techniques that will last. I have patched several places but it just doesn't look right.

[Lee Schierer]

It is very difficult to get new concrete to bond to older concrete and the color may never match. If you spread salt on concrete to get rid of ice it is likely to spall down the road. The only cure I know is to replace the whole thing.

[Stan Calow]

Thanks Lee, thats what I am afraid of. I've had some luck with patches by using concrete adhesive in the mix, but nothing lasts for long.

[Stephen Tashiro]

I've had some luck with patches by using concrete adhesive in the mix, but nothing lasts for long.

How do the patches fail? Do they fail because the old concrete under them breaks up? - or does the patch come loose? - or does the material in the patch itself break?

[Bruce Wrenn]

Anyone had good experience with repairing concrete driveway/sidewalks? I have a lot of ugly spalling and crumbling, getting worse every winter. I am reluctant to pay for a complete replacement so wondering if there are any good overlay techniques that will last. I have patched several places but it just doesn't look right.


There are epoxy mixes that can be used to resurface concrete. You see them mainly used on bridge decks. AIN'T CHEAP!!! Bite the bullet and replace the concrete. Limit the amount of water in the mix to help prevent future spaulling of the surface. Talk to concrete supplier about best choice of mixes for your application.

[Stan Calow]

Patches I've done (using patch mix and concrete adhesive) have usually lasted through a summer, but start to crack and crumble after a cold winter. Not so much from salt deterioration (although I have pitting from that too). It happens at the weak points (joint edges or cracks) in the underlying driveway. Freeze/thaw cycle.
Yeah, will likely replace, just going through that calculation of how much to invest in repairs with a future downsizing in mind, and hoping there was a less expensive solution. Thanks for input.
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[Ole Anderson]

And if you get a new concrete job, be sure to let it cure properly by keeping it wet, by covering it with plastic or by spraying a curing membrane on it. You don't want the surface to dry out before it has reached its initial cure. Concrete is a chemical reaction as it cures, it doesn't cure by drying out. 7 days to reach most of its strength (at which point you can remove the plastic and begin using it), 30 days to reach it's rated strength, but it keeps curing pretty much forever.

[Kev Williams]

There are epoxy mixes that can be used to resurface concrete. You see them mainly used on bridge decks. AIN'T CHEAP!!! Bite the bullet and replace the concrete. Limit the amount of water in the mix to help prevent future spaulling of the surface. Talk to concrete supplier about best choice of mixes for your application.
Coal tar epoxy will work great. To make it concrete-colored, brush it with some portland cement while it's still tacky... $70 a gallon or so, not exactly cheap :)

[Bernie Kopfer]

I am experiencing the same problem of concrete spalling and then creating minor craters that crumble around the edges. It does not look good. And looking good is very important to our collective USA egos. I mentioned to my wife how a large percentage of the world has dirt to their front door, and often inside too. In Guatemala I would see the women ( never men) sweeping the dirt path to the door. If they saw our parking/garage concrete aprons they would promptly build a house on it and be very grateful! Yes I hate the appearance of my garage apron but then I reflect for a moment that this is certainly a first world problem.
That said does asphalt work as a concrete patch if 1to2 inches thick?

[lowell holmes]

In a past life, I was a builder. In my opinion, I would jack hammer the old concrete and pour new.
A patch job will always be a patch job.

[Ronald Blue]

Currently around here finding someone to do a concrete job is virtually impossible. The big projects are getting done but even if they come take a look they never return a bid. They aren't interested in the smaller jobs at this time. I think it's a combination of things. An abundance of work and trouble getting and keeping help. Maybe it's different in the city but I'd be surprised if it were Stan.

[Stan Calow]

Ronald, you're right. Across the board around here, good contractors are too busy for small jobs, and every out-of-work dude with a truck and a shovel fancies himself a contractor.
Asphalt overlays not allowed in my subdivision, but my prior experience was that they don't last too long either. Looks like I'll tough it out another winter and then replace the concrete.

[Josh Gilbert]

Well, I would recommend https://concretedrivewaysadelaide.com.au/ (http://[URL="https://concretedrivewaysadelaide.com.au/%3c/a") as the right place to ask for construction and maintenance of concrete driveway. They have professional experience and expertise in this niche, so they can help in installing the beautiful and durable driveways cost-effectively.

[Jim Koepke]

Well, I would recommend https://concretedrivewaysadelaide.com.au/ as the right place to ask for construction and maintenance of concrete driveway.

Would they bid on a job in Kansas City?

jtk

[Lee DeRaud]

Well, I would recommend https://concretedrivewaysadelaide.com.au/ (http://[URL="https://concretedrivewaysadelaide.com.au/%3c/a") as the right place to ask for construction and maintenance of concrete driveway. They have professional experience and expertise in this niche, so they can help in installing the beautiful and durable driveways cost-effectively.That explains the cement truck I saw parked on top of a container ship in Long Beach harbor.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I have used concrete resurfacer on sidewalk when I needed to raise some portions of it. This worked very well, looks fine, and has held up for at least the last five years.

I do not remember which brand I used off hand, but I purchased it at either home depot or Lowes, do not remember which. I also know that it was 5x to 10x the cost of regular concrete. I did it because it cost me half of what it would have cost to pay someone to come out and replace the one block of sdiewalk and I had no easy way to dispose of the concrete if I broke it up.

On a whim, I put some on my driveway for the same reasons you have, and it has held up well, but I just did a small section and it is not very deep. It is still holding up great, but since I did just a small area, it is clear where I put it. It would be very expensive (I think) to top coat my entire driveway (which is not very big) and I am not sure how easy it would be to do and make it look good.

Whatever I used, was rather thick and I think that there are products that might be more self leveling, but I have no experience with those.

If you are doing a large area, it is probably cheaper to just rip it out and redo it if you want it to look uniform.

[lowell holmes]

https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&type=E211US739G0&p=concrete+contractors+near+me

You may be surprised if you google this.

[John K Jordan]

And if you get a new concrete job, be sure to let it cure properly by keeping it wet, by covering it with plastic or by spraying a curing membrane on it. You don't want the surface to dry out before it has reached its initial cure. Concrete is a chemical reaction as it cures, it doesn't cure by drying out. 7 days to reach most of its strength (at which point you can remove the plastic and begin using it), 30 days to reach it's rated strength, but it keeps curing pretty much forever.

This is so, so important. I do this every time put in concrete, not only cover with plastic sheets but continue to add water under the plastic a few times while curing. I have seen people pour a slab or sidewalk then start using it the next day. And in full sun in the summer. Yikes!

Another thing that can result in poor quality concrete is too much water in the mix. The supplier and drivers will sometimes add too much water to make things easier on them. On a commercial job site an inspector uses a slump cone to test the mix and if too wet the entire load may be rejected. The inspector will also collect test samples. (Concrete suppliers are very careful when they know or suspect an inspector will be on site!) With experience it's possible to judge the mix with a shovel but the average homeowner will have to rely on the contractor. Note that pouring and finishing concrete in very hot or very cold temperatures can require special considerations.

As Ole mentioned, maximum structural strength can take longer than the 7 days. Extended curing time doesn't hurt anything but is typically not needed for slabs, driveways, etc. In the lab we could measure a increase in compression strength with increased curing time - test samples (cylinders) were kept in a room with constant misting for up to 30 days for some jobs such as critical structural components.

JKJ (former concrete inspector)

[Ronald Blue]

https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&type=E211US739G0&p=concrete+contractors+near+me

You may be surprised if you google this.

The good contractors are swamped and I'd be more than a little leery of one who could get to you immediately. Like Stan said before many with a pickup are suddenly "contractors". The best one can hope for is to get on a couple of the reputable one's list and hopefully next year will be better.

[Mark Rainey]

Anyone had good experience with repairing concrete driveway/sidewalks? I have a lot of ugly spalling and crumbling, getting worse every winter. I am reluctant to pay for a complete replacement so wondering if there are any good overlay techniques that will last. I have patched several places but it just doesn't look right.

Stan, I am not ready to say rip it up and put new concrete down. I have noticed some very neat repair jobs. The border is usually cut out in a linear fashion with a masonry saw. If the defect goes all the way through gravel is put down first. And there are options to blend color also. Or paint over the concrete for blending. Perhaps we can get some advice in these areas?

[Stan Calow]

Hey, I'm still around, and have put off anything until next spring. What I have, is widespread enough pitting and spalling that makes me think the whole concrete job wasn't that good to begin with. Maybe poured in cold weather, for example. I compare my driveway with neighbors in the same vintage, and usually the same builder (its a subdivision) and mine looks bad while theirs are mostly in good shape. I can see deterioration in places where road salt dripping off of tires would accumulate. So, my thinking is whole replacement versus spot repair.

[Jim Becker]

Sadly, even properly done concrete can sometimes deteriorate with weather, ice melt, etc., but it sounds like maybe you got the "Monday" pour. It's probably a good idea for you to wait until spring at this point as you mention, but start working things out with your potential contractors prior to that so you can be on the schedule in the time period you want to do the work. Many contractors have very long lead times, although that's a local demand thing.

[lowell holmes]

I would never hire a contractor without seeing some jobs he had done. If he is reputable, he will provide references. Here is a list for Dickinson, https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&type=E211US739G0&p=dickinson+concrete+contractors.

Google for a list in your area and ask for a list of projects they have completed.