Concrete Cracks – Tips For A Beautiful Concrete Driveway

It’s easy to see why homeowners choose concrete driveways. Concrete is durable, requires little maintenance, and has a quality appearance. A variety of colors, patterns, and textures give the owner a selection. All of these options are useless, however, if shortly after investing in a quality driveway, it cracks and stains.

Pouring concrete correctly is crucial for a trouble-free and attractive driveway. Here are some of the most important points to consider when installing concrete:

• Squeeze or compress the concrete. Concrete will only have 1/10 of its strength if it is stretched or bent rather than squeezed or compressed.

• For concrete on solid and compact soil. Pouring concrete on soft, uncompacted ground will cause the concrete to bend and crack when your car drives over it.

• Install control joints in the slabs. These lines encourage the concrete to crack in these places and not spread to other parts of the driveway. Another benefit is that these joints will help prevent cracks by allowing the concrete to expand or contract as it does at different temperatures. Without these joints, repeated expansion or contraction generally results in cracks. Installers need to make sure checks are deep enough. Control joints should be ¼ the thickness of the slab and should also be spaced correctly. This means spacing them at intervals of 15 feet or less.

Homeowners have options when it comes to sizes and material options for their concrete driveway. If 4 inches thick is enough, what steel does for a driveway and whether it should be used, as well as what to look for in concrete are frequently asked questions.

Sizes and Materials to Choose

• The concrete must be at least 5 inches thick. Thicker concrete is better for driveways and 4-5 inches isn’t much when you consider the total cost of the job.

• Use reinforcing steel. Steel is inexpensive, helps strengthen concrete, and will hold cracked slabs together. It is often easy to tell when steel is not used because cracks can grow in size and two adjacent pieces of slab can be two different heights. To take advantage of the effectiveness of the steel, it must be placed less than two inches from the top of the slab.

• Concrete contains cement, water and aggregates (sand or rock). The more cement and less aggregate the concrete contains, the stronger the concrete will be. The standard for concrete is a strength rating of 4,000 psi (pounds per square inch). Ordering 4,500 or 5,000 psi concrete will cost more, but more cement is added per cubic yard. If you expect the concrete to be subjected to harsh conditions, the higher psi could be a good investment, adding an additional 25-50 years to the life of the cement.

How to preserve your driveway

• Most of the driveways are connected to a lawn. One way to prevent grass from growing along your driveway is to remove grass 2 to 3 inches from the cement. Water and rain will also run off the surface better.

• Trees, shrubs, and other plants can cause problems if they grow too close to your driveway. The roots will grow through the cement, cracking it and causing it to break and crumble. Moving these plants if they are not too big will solve this problem.

• The simplest thing you can do to keep your driveway looking good is to clean it from time to time. Use a leaf blower to remove leaves, grass, sticks, and other debris. Using a pressure washer to clean the area immediately after spilling oil, gasoline, grease, or other stains is the best option for removing these types of stains.

• Try to keep trucks and heavy equipment out of your driveway because, while concrete is durable, it’s not designed to hold heavy vehicles and large equipment.

What to do in case of bad weather

• Prevent water and rain that run down the gutters from reaching the entrance of your house. This is important because if water gets under your driveway during the freezing winter months, it can rise up and crack your driveway.

• Be careful when sinking or shoveling your driveway. Raise the blade so as not to scrape or gouge the driveway.

• Avoid putting salt on your driveway. Salt can cause flaking, crumbling, and cracking in driveways. The use of salt during the first winter in which your driveway is poured is especially harmful. Consider using an ice melter instead, which will turn snow and ice into water without damaging the cement.

When to Seal Concrete Concrete that meets certain criteria does not need to be sealed. You most likely won’t need to seal your driveway if the concrete:

• You have enough cement (mix for 6 bags or 564 pounds of cement) AND
• And he’s 4,000 pounds. design strength per square inch Y
• Includes enough mixing water to give a slump consistency of 4 inches AND
• It ends without water Y
• Cures wet with a liquid or plastic curing compound

However, if the concrete is poorly poured, it must be sealed. Do not seal with film-forming silicone. Instead, use high-quality siloxane or silane water repellents. Using a quality product will allow you to get away with only sealing your driveway every two to three years. Be sure to read and follow the package directions for best results.

Follow the tips above, and your concrete driveway will withstand cold weather, ice and salt, car traffic, basketball games, and biking for years. Many driveways can last more than 30 years without major repairs.