Concrete Repair, Resurfacing and Sealing

Why is Patio, Pool Deck, Sidewalk or Driveway Repair Necessary?

The first thing people see as they approach your home from the street is your sidewalk or driveway. From your back yard, it’s your patio or pool deck. Your  home’s concrete is its calling card. And when it cracks, sinks or discolors, it doesn’t just make your home look bad, it can also lower its value. Sunken or heaved concrete slabs can present tripping hazards that you may be liable for as a homeowner. For these reasons, it’s important to repair your concrete driveway, sidewalk or patio and protect it for the future.

What Causes Concrete Settlement and Damage

Concrete is pretty amazing stuff. It can be poured, shaped and made into just about anything you like. But even though it’s incredibly strong, it’s not indestructible. So, when you see a driveway or patio that has cracked, sunken or broken slabs or is pitted, flaked and stained, there are reasons why these things happen. These can include:

• Poorly compacted fill soil settling over time
• Voids created by soil that has softened, dried out or washed away
• The freeze-thaw cycle causing concrete pores to break
• Trees and other vegetation removing moisture from the soil or causing slabs to heave with its roots

Concrete Repair and Resurfacing vs. Concrete Replacement

If you’ve got a badly cracked or sunken driveway, your first instinct might be to replace it. But there are several reasons why this isn’t always the best course of action. First, total concrete replacement is incredibly disruptive. The old concrete must be jackhammered into chunks and hauled away. Then new concrete must be poured and allowed to harden and cure. This can take up to several weeks — during which time your driveway or patio is unusable. In contrast, most repair solutions allow your concrete to be used the very next day. Plus, when you lift and level your concrete slabs, you’ll actually be addressing the underlying problem that caused it to settle in the first place. With concrete replacement, you’re simply putting new concrete on the same old soil.