Concrete Driveways

Concrete is often considered to be the best material for building a driveway. It’s relatively cheap, low maintenance and is an incredibly strong building material.

Causes of Concrete Driveway Damage

Concrete is a tough and durable construction material. With regular and careful maintenance, your concrete driveway can last up to 30 years before you start to see signs of wear and tear. But certain conditions can fast-track its aging, leading to hideous cracking, scaling and discolouration. To help you get the most out of your concrete driveway, we’ve put together this list of major causes of damage. This way, you’ll know what to look out for and can prevent damage before it occurs.

  • Poor installation
  • Heavy loads
  • Weather conditions
  • Soil movement
  • Tree root growth
  • Studded tires
  • Shovelling
  • Rock salt and ice melters
  • Water

Albeit, some of these are natural causes and unpreventable, but good and consistent maintenance of your concrete driveway will make it last longer. If damage has been done and cannot be remedied by a simple maintenance routine, then it’s time to repair.

Concrete Driveway Repair

If your driveway is damaged, there are three options: repair, resurface or replace.

Repair

It’s a fairly simple procedure to repair a damaged concrete driveway. The top layer needs to be ground down and a new concrete layer applied to bring back your driveway’s smooth surface. Repairs are the ideal solution for stubborn stains, minor cracks, and small holes.

Minor cracks and holes with a diameter of about half a centimetre will not pose a structural hazard. You can temporarily repair damaged concrete driveways by filling or patching. Keep in mind that fillers and patches will look different from the concrete they’re applied to, and your driveway may start to look patchy if you need to repair several parts of the driveway. Also, patches are not watertight; water will eventually seep through the patch and reopen the crack or hole. It’s a simple project you can do on your own, but if you want a durable and long-lasting solution, it’s best to call an expert to do your repairs.

Resurface

Resurfacing a concrete driveway is a method that can be used to revive aged and damaged concrete. The process simply involves applying a concrete coating over the worn-out surface, creating a new finish that covers up minor damage such as cracks, discolouration, and other imperfections. This concrete coating will create a sturdy finish and a lasting bond with the original surface. You can do a variety of things with resurfacing; for instance, the concrete overlay can be stained, stamped, and hand-carved to look like flagstone, cobblestone, roman slate and more. You have the option to choose the colour, texture, and patterns to revamp or match your existing concrete driveway.

Replace

If your concrete is seriously damaged, it may not be easily fixed by resurfacing. In this case, your contractor would have to resort to breaking up your old slab and pouring a new one. A concrete driveway replacement involves removing the existing concrete and constructing a new driveway. If you do get your driveway replaced, make sure to listen carefully to the contractor about how long to wait until driving on the concrete. Otherwise, you may need to replace the concrete again.

Not sure whether to repair, resurface, or replace your concrete driveway? Get in touch with one of our experts and have the damage assessed.

Concrete Driveway Maintenance

One of the best things about concrete driveways is how little maintenance they require. Nevertheless, you will still need to do some maintenance to keep your driveway in pristine shape for a long time.
  • Clean and reapply sealer
  • Regularly cleaning your driveway prevents mould and mildew from developing on your concrete. Sealing is one of the most effective ways of protecting your driveway from cracking. We advise resealing your driveway every two years or when you notice signs of wear and tear on the surface. Try to keep your driveway as clean as possible. This may mean regularly washing it or sweeping away dirt.
  • Remove stains immediately
  • While sealing your concrete is helpful in preventing stains, you still must clean up oil, gasoline, grease, and other spills as soon as possible. Otherwise, a stain may form and be difficult to remove later on.
  • Avoid using deicing chemicals
  • If you live somewhere where frost or snow is an issue, you need to be careful about using deicing chemicals near or on your driveway. Deicing chemicals contain ammonium nitrates and ammonium sulphates that will cause your concrete driveway to crack.

Let us help you

Looking for concrete driveway contractors in Melbourne? JMC Concrete is located in East Melbourne and offers top-notch concrete solutions that won’t break the bank. We provide both commercial and residential concrete driveway repairs. Our expertise includes concrete removal and repairs, concrete shed slabs, concrete foundations, and more.

Need a quote? Talk to our concrete driveway contractors now!

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Our Client Testimonials

Below is a collection of client testimonials received throughout the years from our valued clients.

Jayden was friendly, professional and did high quality work. I wouldn’t hesitate to use Jayden again or recommend him.

Chris Doncaster, VIC

Top quality job. Everything done as promised with excellent results. Very professional and friendly, good to deal with.

Shaun Vermont, Vic

Jayden installed concrete slabs and outdoor tiles on top of it. He has done an excellent job. We haven’t met a tradesperson as honest as him who keeps customer satisfaction as top priority. We highly recommend him.

Darshil Box Hill North, Vic

Jayden completed our exposed aggregate driveway and plain concrete to our backyard at out house in Kew. He was very easy to deal with, great communication and competitively priced. I would recommend him as a concreter to anyone.

Natasha Kew, Vic

Jayden did a first class job. His attention to details - especially control of water flow - was very professional. He communicated throughout the job such that I was always fully informed of what and when works were taking place.

Robin Chirnside Park, Vic
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