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Concrete Driveway - Repair or Replace?

4 years ago

Hi, We have a 20 year old driveway that has some cracking and crumbling. It is a huge driveway. I prefer to repair vs replace it because filling a landfill with all this concrete seems like such a waste. What are the drawbacks of just repairing it? Can we get it colored to look uniform?

Comments (11)

  • 4 years ago

    From what I know you can repair the small cracks but that spalling, not effectively. And repairs will never match and cannot be made to do so.

  • 4 years ago

    Thank you!

  • 4 years ago

    That can be repaired and color matched but finding anyone willing and copiable might require as much effort as actual repair. You can't find anyone aroud here interested in walking a dog for less than $25 per hour then they might buy crack with the money, turn the dog loose and never return.

    After retirement I tried finding someone interested in learning to repair this and failed brick mortar. No takers because everyone thought it was below them. My formal training and career was in building mechanicals but was taught masonry repair by a neighbor in exchange for helping him get work for a certain clientele. I only did occasional jobs for select clients and price wasn't discussed until I finished. It remind's me of a guy who said of people like those i offered a ground floor opportunity "if you bought them books and sent them to school they would just chew covers off books".

  • 4 years ago

    Your old concrete will probably be recycled, not put in a landfill.

  • 4 years ago

    That’s interesting. What is it recycled into? That’s been my biggest hesitation is all the waste.
    Based on all the suggestions, I’m hoping to just replace the sections most severely damaged if needed, repair the cracks, and then hire a company like Concrete Craft to resurface it to match the existing color. Unfortunately, Concrete Craft doesn’t do work in my area. :(

  • 4 years ago

    Just so you are informed before making decisions or recommendations. No concrete recycling plant i know of will take it if it has steel rebar and/or wire.

  • 4 years ago

    klem1, there are plants that accept concrete with wire or rebar. Here's the price list for a plant near me:


    http://www.machadoconstruction.com/concrete-disposal/


    Concrete removed from a residential driveway is going to contain wire mesh, not rebar, in my experience.


    Laurie Hart, the same company's website describes what they produce from recycled concrete:


    http://www.machadoconstruction.com/aggregate-and-materials-supply/recycled-aggregate-supply/

  • 4 years ago

    Thank you so much for all the information!

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    This looks to be Arizona or New Mexico, so I assume there is no freeze/thaw. The cracks look to be flexural cracks - so the base is not doing it's job under those portions of concrete. The spalling at the tooled control joints are usually from lippage - tires continually crossing over the edges breaking it apart (any lippage could be from a lack of WWMesh to hold the pieces vertically together that broke apart at the control joint).

    In my opinion and experience, all those "resurface" or "add topping" to deteriorated concrete methods cannot be done to survive long-term at the residential level. Existing cracks will migrate through. Thin toppings do not hold vehicles and their movement. Just marketing B.S.

    If you are a bridge or parking deck with a two-way slab (meaning not relying on the ground for support), then you can scab off a layer and top it - that's it.

  • 4 years ago

    Thank you 3onthetree - what you’ve said makes sense