Tips on How to Repair Concrete Driveway

Tips on How to Repair Concrete Driveway When thinking about concrete driveway repair, often people are discouraged due to the costs involved. Concrete is a mixture of aggregate particles such as sand or gravel, water, cement, and sometimes admixtures such as fly ash or pozzolans. The materials are mixed with water and aggregate particles in a mixer-grinder or with an auger drum mixer to form an aerated mass called slurry which is then poured into forms as a \"kneaded\" paste. The paste sets after 24 hours (hardens) while the aggregate particles settle out. Here are some tips to repair concrete driveway with less cost and the materials for the job. Materials: - A pair of work gloves or mittens will protect your hands. Wear a dust mask if you are in an area with high dust. Step 1: Clean off all debris, old mortar and concrete slurry from the driveway using a broom or using a pressure washer (if you choose to do so). If you have concrete that was poured outside, use a trowel to sweep it up into manageable piles. The entire job is easier if you do the prep work before you start. Step 2: In order for a concrete repair to be successful, the area must be completely dry and free of all oil, grease, or dirt. If the area is not clean and dry, the concrete may not adhere properly to the surface and your repair will fail. Test any area that looks questionable with a clean white cloth; if it turns black, it is not ready for a new layer of concrete. Step 3: To fix a concrete driveway, you will need a small amount of a fine grade gravel aggregate such as crushed stone (gravel), crushed coral (cementite) or crushed glass (also known as vitrified) to repair the problem areas. Step 4: As you walk on the repaired area of concrete you will want to note where and how the material has settled. You can do this by walking on it, or you can use a scanner to scan it with a

camera for later reference and evaluation. The key is to remove everything that could settle down into a void. The adhesive properties of the aggregate particles will hold in everything except air and water vapor. If you don't remove air and water vapor, they will displace the void-filling aggregate particles as they try to move inside the concrete. Step 5: - Use a garden rake to spread a layer of fine gravel over the area, 1/8\" is plenty, and then use your rake to press it into the loose material, you can use a broom or a stiff brush. Make sure that it is compacted well into the cracks, voids, and holes. Step 6: - You may now start with another layer, repeating steps 4 and 5 until your driveway is completely repaired. The number of layers that you need is dependent on what exactly has settled out of your concrete driveway. Every successful repair of a damaged driveway will teach the owner about his construction materials and methods. It will help him learn how to diagnose and repair problems before they become disastrous. The owner may decide to experiment with new mix designs and additives to try and improve the material properties of their concrete driveway. It would be wise for an engineer or contractor to visit an unsuccessful job site before starting work on another one.