How To Repair Concrete Driveway Surface?

Over the years, well-nigh concrete driveways and patios tin can fleck, spall or look worn.

Deicing salts, along with winter's freeze-thaw cycles, are typical causes of surface failures.

That'south when it's time to have action — but beginning, you should know your options.

Cracked concrete driveway — *It's tempting to replace an unsightly driveway like this one, only it's often unnecessary.*

Replacing vs. Resurfacing

You could break up the concrete slab and pour a new one when cracks grade, but that would take a lot of time, leave a big mess, and cost a lot of money.

Subsequently all, you'd have to remove the existing driveaway, clean up the pieces and booty them away, and then you'd have to prep the basis and pour a new slab — complete with steel reinforcement and control joints.

A concrete driveway'south typical installation costs range between $1,500 and $6,000, with the average cost being $iii,000, or $half dozen per foursquare human foot, co-ordinate to HomeAdvisor.

It makes sense to pay that much for a new driveway, simply not if you have an existing driveway in expert shape except for a few cracks.

Fortunately, there'due south another option: repairing your old worn, spalled concrete driveway with Quikrete Re-Cap Concrete Resurfacer. You become to keep your existing driveway, and but cover the part that'southward causing issues!

Resurfacing concrete requires less fourth dimension, less mess and — you guessed information technology! — less cost than the alternative. The typical driveway resurfacing ranges from $300 to $500, according to HomeAdvisor.

The process is straightforward and any practice-it-yourselfer can tackle this project in a day.

Tudor style home, seen in Mobile, Alabama, with a new driveway — A resurfaced concrete driveway looks as practiced equally new — at a fraction of the cost.

How to Resurface a Physical Driveway

If you're fix to resurface your concrete driveway, just follow these steps:

Remove debris. If a cleft is less than a quarter-inch, it's a prime candidate for uncomplicated resurfacing. So grab a screwdriver and scratch abroad at whatever debris y'all meet. Then employ a wire brush to make clean the expanse. And so use a whisk broom or a leaf blower to clear the surface area.

Launder the driveway. Moisture downward the driveway with a pressure washer. And then add together Quikrete Etcher, Cleaner and Degreaser to the auto's reservoir and spray it on the surface. After that, adhere a high-pressure nozzle to the washer and thoroughly clean the surface.

Mix physical and water. Mix Quikrete Re-Cap Physical Resurfacer with water in a v-gallon bucket. Chuck a mixing paddle in a ½-inch drill to quickly prepare the patching material, which should have a thick consistency.

Fill the cracks. Pour the mixture on the cracks and utilize a flat-edged trowel to force it deep inside them. Then smooth out the surface.

Let dry. Allow the fabric to dry overnight, and then mix a much thinner batch of resurfacer. Before applying it, wet the concrete down to prevent it from drying out too quickly.

Resurface. Spread the resurfacer on the slab using a rubber squeegee. Try to apply an even glaze without a lap marker.

broom-finish-from-behind — *Give the resurfaced physical driveway a "broom finish" to foreclose slips.*

Prevent slips. When the resurfacer starts to prepare, use a broom with an extended handle to give the fresh concrete surface some texture and forestall it from becoming slippery when moisture. This is oft chosen a "broom finish."

Resurfaced concrete can handle foot traffic after information technology has set for nearly six hours, and cars can bulldoze on information technology one time it has cured for 24 hours.

All-time of all, your concrete driveway will wait new once again with minimal work — and expense — compared to pouring a new slab.

Picket the video above to learn more!