Cracked Concrete Driveway


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Old 02-16-06, 10:12 PM
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Cracked Concrete Driveway

We have done several repairs on our cracked driveway but you can see the patches.

Has anyone tried ConcreteFix or a similar DIY product which puts a new coating on the entire surface? Was wondering if this is a good way to go.

Seems like this is the only way to make the surface even again.
 
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Old 02-17-06, 02:42 AM
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Cracks in concrete are so common as to be expected. Once they occur, there is almost nothing you can do to "fix" them. They can be filled, but unless you use a high quality flexible caulk, they will open up again within no time at all. Furthermore, the caulk never matches the concrete color or texture, so the cracks will always be seen. Overlays such as you describe can cover many things, such as pitting and scaling, but they do not fix cracks. An existing crack will usually telegraph up through an overlay within a few days of covering it up. When the directions are followed exactly (especially the directions on prepping your concrete for the overlay!) then overlays can be a decent temporary fix. However, in freeze/thaw climates a lot of times water gets between the overlay and the concrete, then freezes and pops up the overlay. If the cracks truly bother you or the concrete is very old, it would probably be better to have it replaced. Sorry.

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Old 02-17-06, 06:17 AM
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Concrete Driveway Repair

I am about to sell the house and the realtor will say to fix the driveway for curb appeal. The house is in a southern climate.

Would an overlay like ConcreteFix look good enough for a couple of months or will I just end up with a messy driveway? I know patches look horrible.
 
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Old 02-17-06, 01:00 PM
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I guess if you just want to put a bandaid over it and leave the problems for the next owner, then go for it. How it will look is a question of workmanship by the installer. If you get someone very experienced in overlays to do it, it will probably be good enough to fool the buyer. However, to be above board about everything, I would just knock a couple thousand off the asking price so the new owner can have it replaced properly.

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Old 02-17-06, 11:05 PM
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Concrete overlays are a good long term investment, not short term by any means. Much cheaper than a complete tear out and replace. But they are only as good as the concrete they are applied to. Most cracks are not a problem. If there has been movement, ie, one side higher than the other, then an overlay is not the answer. If the cracks go all the way thru, then again tear out and replace is the only way to go. The concrete has to be stable.

The only other question I have are your patches. They may need to be ground down flush with the rest of the concrete. Or the patches themselves may be subject to popping in the near future. An overlay won't help with that. I quoted an overlay a few weeks ago. I raised my price because I had to deal with those two issues.

Prep is the key. Take shortcuts on the prep, and the job won't last long.

I've not used ConcreteFix so I can't comment on its quality.
 
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Old 02-18-06, 03:59 AM
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Speaking from over 20 years experience in concrete, I can tell you that the only cracks in concrete that DON'T go all the way through are crazing cracks, or the spiderweb-like cracks on the surface caused by premature drying of the surface, or on aged unsound concrete where the paste on top is ready to let loose. All other cracks penetrate the entire thickness of the slab, from hairline-width shrinkage cracks, to wide cracks caused by ground movement. Overlays will cover cracks, but as I said, they transfer up through the overlay in a very brief time. Ask any professional overlayer who has done this work for a while and they will tell you the same. Because of this fact, there are myriads of products designed to "fix" cracks prior to overlayment. These include "stitching dogs", fiberglass mesh mixed with epoxy, epoxy injection, etc., but I have never heard of one that works consistently. I will grant you, however, that in southern climates overlays are a longer term solution than up north. Another thing if you decide on the overlay: Make sure that you honor all crack control joints in the slab by leaving them open, or re-opening them after applying the overlay. It will crack there as well. Good luck.

Pecos
 
 

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