The driveway is one of the most important features of a home. It’s where we park our cars, and it can also be an important part of your property’s curb appeal. Unfortunately, this means that driveways are often subjected to different types of wear and tear over time. And because they are one the first things someone sees as they approach your home, a damaged driveway can really become an eyesore.
For homeowners who are in the process of selling their home, this can be a real problem. A stained or damaged driveway can give a bad first impression to potential buyers and may be a reason your home doesn’t sell quickly. For homeowners who want to make sure their home is well-maintained, keeping their driveway in good condition can be easy to do.
Common Issues
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One common issue homeowners face is when their concrete driveway becomes stained or damaged in some way. Luckily for you, there are plenty of options available to fix any problem with your driveway! In this post, we’ll cover all the options homeowners have for repairing a concrete driveway so that you can choose what works best for you!
Now, some of these projects you can probably take care of on your own, especially if you are avid do it yourself type. However, if you don’t have tons of experience it’s best to leave repairing your driveway to a professional like https://www.oahuconcretecontractors.com.
Common issues that can develop are staining and cracking. Staining happens when oil, salt or other substances leak through and etch into your driveway surface. Minor stains can be removed by a good power washing, but deeper stains require more involved solutions. Cracks happen from age, traffic patterns, climate changes or shifting soil under a concrete slab. There are some instances where problems develop because there was faulty work done by the original installer.
Concrete Engraving
Concrete engraving involves using acid to “etch” designs onto an existing concrete driveway. Engraving is a permanent treatment and will not wear away. This is different from other treatments that you put on top of the concrete, such as toppings or overlays. When you engrave your concrete, the patterns are carved into it instead of applied on top. If you want to make your design even more attractive, you can add staining to it.
Although engraving can be done on newly poured concrete, after allowing it to cure for several weeks, it can be used to renew old concrete as well. In fact, cracks and imperfections in old concrete driveways can be incorporated into the new design. This quality is one of the reasons concrete engraving is a popular choice for repairing or upgrading a stained or damaged driveway.
Engraving concrete is a multi-step process that can take anywhere between a couple of days to up to a week. Before any work is done, the concrete needs to be completely cleaned. Then, the concrete will need to be stained.
You can select from many different colors. The great thing about staining concrete is that the stain doesn’t penetrate in a even manner. Instead the stain interacts with the organic materials in the concrete. The end result is a varied coloring. Once this is completed, a pattern or design is then etched into the concrete with the contrast creating the design.
Recoloring or Staining
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Recoloring your driveway is another option that allows homeowners to change the color of their driveways without having to pour new materials. This could be an excellent long-term investment if you want your home’s curb appeal updated.
This process is perfect if you have only a few small stains on your driveway. It’s probably the easiest way to upgrade a plain slab of concrete. There are many colors to choose from, so you can pick one that will match the rest of your home’s color scheme. It will immediately improve your curb appeal.
Fixing cracks
Concrete driveways can crack due to a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is due to the original construction, but sometimes it can happen after years of use. It’s important for driveways that have large and/or deep cracks like these to be fixed as soon as possible because over time they will worsen and eventually become even more expensive or difficult to repair.
Questions to Consider
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There are a few options to consider when fixing cracks. However, first it’s important to understand what caused the damage in the first place. Knowing this will give you a better idea of how to attack the problem. These guiding questions can help you uncover the underlying issue.
- Was the original concrete too thin?
- Has the ground underneath shifted in some way?
- Was the hardcore compacted properly?
- Is there a water leak underneath the slab?
- Did an oversized vehicle drive over the driveway?
- Was there something wrong with the concrete mix?
All of these things could be the cause behind a driveway crack. Some can be fixed without having to remove and rebuild, while other damage can be fixed with minor repairs.
Cracks are usually repaired by filling them with a different material, which can be of a similar type or different. Small cracks can be repaired by injecting them with a liquid concrete mix to fill the crack and make it level. Larger cracks can be filled by laying down a new layer of concrete over the old slab to get rid of any openings in between layers.
There are some situations that will require you to replace the driveway altogether.
If the damage is severe enough, then you may need to replace it with a new layer of concrete. Larger cracks would require this as well because they can’t be repaired and will just grow larger over time if left alone.
The best way to figure out what you need is by having the problem assessed by a professional and your options carefully explained. Because your driveway is something you use on a daily basis it is important that you properly diagnose the problem and implement a solution that will keep in great shape for the long-term.
