How to repair cracks in concrete driveway
#1
11-25-13, 07:12 AM
How to repair cracks in concrete driveway
I live in West Central Florida where we don't have any freezing concerns but driveways still crack from settling. My driveway is almost 25 years old so I don't expect there will be any significant settling in the future. Based on that premise, I would like to repair the existing cracks. Can anyone tell me what the best procedure is to do this? Thanks in advance for your help....buzcar
#2
11-25-13, 08:36 AM
Member
Without a few pix, it's difficult to come up with an appropriate and specific path forward.
Other than a very generic "Just fill them with the right product after first thoroughly cleaning out any dirt and debris." Not at all helpful, unfortunately.
Other than a very generic "Just fill them with the right product after first thoroughly cleaning out any dirt and debris." Not at all helpful, unfortunately.
#3
11-25-13, 09:41 AM
Member
buzcar -
Bridgeman45 has it right. Make sure it is not omen of a sink hole. There have been a few in that area.
Any other homes in the area with a similar problem? At 25 years old, some cracks can be expected, so a good flexible caulk is best.
Dick
Bridgeman45 has it right. Make sure it is not omen of a sink hole. There have been a few in that area.
Any other homes in the area with a similar problem? At 25 years old, some cracks can be expected, so a good flexible caulk is best.
Dick
#4
12-05-13, 08:06 AM
the ' right product ' would be, according to most fed & state dot conc repr specs, 100% silicone - dow makes 888 [ DOW CORNING® 888 SILICONE JOINT SEALANT ] which has a proven track record + its not expensive in caulk gun packaging,,, ' caulk ' refers to a method & NOT material - no financial interest - dow's w/site has all the directions BUT let's stress CLEAN CRACK SIDEWALLS
Last edited by stadry; 12-05-13 at 08:25 AM.
#5
12-05-13, 09:38 AM
Is the DOW CORNING® 888 SILICONE JOINT SEALANT paintable or stainable??? I would like to paint or stain the driveway after I repair the cracks......or would it be better to repair the cracks with Portland cement????
#6
12-05-13, 10:31 AM
not to my knowledge however it is avail in a conc grey,,, most a/p or hgwy designers don't consider color for jnt sealants :-) our conc's tan up here from the color of the fines,,, you might want to also consider a sika product which is avail in various colors,,, its likely any repr w/conc will crack ( hi-skul fysix - solids expand w/hi temps & shrink w/lo-temps ),,, since your d/w's crack'd, suggest living w/the repr,,, mine is, also, but only measures .003" today,,, IF you're looking for aesthetics, replacement's the best option.
NEVER paint a d/w - there's not a paint made that withstands traffic - auto OR pedestrian,,, IF you're considering staining, you may be able to repr the crks & install a proper jnt pattern retroactively,,, that's difficult to advise w/o pics & dimensions,,, generally, if your d/w's 4" thick, there should be no slab larger than 9' in any direction - rule of thumb
here's another point - stains aren't uv resistant & some colors are NEVER used outside,,, i reseal my every year w/methylmethacrylate-laced solvent acrylic 50% solids ' CSS ' but its only avail from licensed distributors of eliteCrete ( no financial interest )
NEVER paint a d/w - there's not a paint made that withstands traffic - auto OR pedestrian,,, IF you're considering staining, you may be able to repr the crks & install a proper jnt pattern retroactively,,, that's difficult to advise w/o pics & dimensions,,, generally, if your d/w's 4" thick, there should be no slab larger than 9' in any direction - rule of thumb
here's another point - stains aren't uv resistant & some colors are NEVER used outside,,, i reseal my every year w/methylmethacrylate-laced solvent acrylic 50% solids ' CSS ' but its only avail from licensed distributors of eliteCrete ( no financial interest )
#8
12-08-13, 07:41 AM
cracks in driveway
First of all all of the products are good that above mention ed, i do 2 things (1) clean the cracks real and remove all depre and fill with a backer rod can get all different sizes at your local lumber yard and then use a self leveling filler. (2) again use a backer rod to fill in the cracks and use portland cement with no dand make a slurry , but mix so it is manageble,cover with plasctic and i know you live in florida but still would cover it for about a week bigh,
#9
12-08-13, 08:08 AM
backer rod performs 1 major function as it prevents sealants from gaining 3-sided adhesion,,, a secondary function is giving the sealant's bottom ' shape factor ' which allows the sealant to expand/contract per design goal,,, the disadvantage is having to saw the crk deeper thereby creating space for the b/r,,, an acceptable alternative is installing tape in the created/sawed crk sealant reservoir,,, portland cement mixes aren't flexible & will crk/lose critical sidewall adhesion,,, whether florida, wisc, or ga, rigid pvmts do change dimension as a result of temp changes - that hy-skoul fizix thingie, remember ? bear in m ind this was our primary work for 20yrs - hgwy jnt/crk sealing/filling per state dot & fed spec'd work 
Last edited by stadry; 12-08-13 at 08:32 AM.
