Driveway Apron Repair

Our driveway apron is cracked and crumbling. It was in this condition when we purchased the home, therefore we are unsure how long it has been this way. We are looking for an inexpensive way to repair it ourselves. The apron is approximately 5.5-6 feet wide and 1-1.5 feet long. Nearly all of the apron is missing and we just have one large hole.

Thank you in advance!

 

Welcome to the forums! Not sure of how Philly handles this, but sometimes the apron is part of the right of way easement granted to the municipality, and it is their responsibility to make repairs. OK, so much for the easy way out. Can you take pix and post them so we can see what you have? http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...your-post.html
We don't know if it is concrete, asphalt, or other materials.

 

I don't know how Georgia handles this, but here in NJ, the town owns the land but you are required for the upkeep. That means if the driveway apron or sidewalk are coming apart, you need to pay to fix it. And you better get a permit to do it. I suppose the curb is the only thing that you aren't required to fix.

 

Most places I've lived/worked the homeowner is required to make the repairs even though the gov't owns the apron

I'm a painter not a concrete guy but it's always been my understanding that while you can pour your driveway as thin as you want - the apron must be 6" thick! You'll have to do it right or risk the gov't mandating you do it over

 

You asked 'how to repair it inexpensively'. I'm not going to get into the 'what your city or town requires' stuff as it varies and may not even apply. So here's the cheap way. First clean out all the loose dirt, gravel etc that is in or around your apron. All of it. Hose the apron down if necessary. Next get some pre-mix bags of concrete and some concrete bond. Most home improvement and hardware stores sell them. The concrete bond comes in plastic bottles and the bags of mix weigh 80lbs. The concrete pre-mix typically has a strength of 4000psi which is stronger than most mixes you get from a redi-mix supplier. Follow the directions on the bag as to how much water to add. I usually add more than is suggested just to make the mix easier to use. Yes there is such a thing as too much water, but unless you add enough to make concrete soup, I wouldn't worry about it. Out side of a shovel and wheelbarrow the only real concrete tool you need is a hand float. Again you can get one where you purchased the pre-mix. Get a cheap one. After cleaning your old apron spread the concrete bond to any old concrete surface. Wait til it gets a little tacky and then pour or shovel your new mix on the area. Spread the concrete around with the hand float to level it. Next go over the surface again with the float to smooth out any dips and bumps. If necessary do the smoothing thing again till you are semi-happy with how it looks. On your last 'smoothin' move your float in the direction of any brooming of the surface you want to do. After the concrete has set up enough that you can make a finger print in the surface with a moderate effort it's time to broom the finish. Get a shop broom, big paint brush or regular broom and move it lightly across the surface. If the concrete has hardened, dip the broom in water and rebroom the surface using more downward pressure. That's it. Good Luck.

 

jckrete--

Good advice, but I have to respectfully disagree with a few things.

1. Adding water to make a mix easier to work is never a good idea. Too much water (especially in the top 1/4") will weaken the mix, as well as make it more permeable to water (and salt) intrusion when hardened.

2. For shallow patches, it's always a good idea to delineate the bad areas with a shallow (1/2" +/-) sawcut, and chip or chisel out any concrete in the patch area up to the sawcut lines. Trying to "feather-edge" a repair by floating it down to the adjacent good material almost never lasts very long.

3. For the bagged premix concrete, a better choice would be Quikrete 5000 mix. It has a higher cement content than most other mixes out there, will set up more quickly, and will perform better.

4. You didn't mention cure. After the final broom finish is applied, the fresh concrete needs to either be kept moist for a few days with an occasional fine water spray (or covered with wet burlap/plastic), or given a shot of curing compound--I've found Kure-&-Seal to work quite well, and not too expensive. Can apply it with a garden sprayer. Lack of adequate curing is a good recipe for the patch to crack and subsequently fail.