Driveways connect vehicles from public roads to your private residence or building. They provide a place for you to park your vehicle and improve the overall appearance of your home. Driveways are frequently used by home owners multiple times a day, especially if they have more than one car.
Concrete and asphalt driveways are two of the most frequent types of driveways. But, there are also stone paver driveways made by laying concrete or stone pavers in a close pattern to form the driveway’s surface; this article focuses on concrete driveways.
You may see chips, cracks, and weathering on the surface of your driveway over time as it starts to deteriorate. Frequent use of your driveway can cause problems, from hairline fractures to massive cracks. If these cracks are not corrected, they may grow larger over time.
Regularly driving over cracks and potholes can quickly wear out your car’s tires and degrade performance. So, no matter what sort of driveway you have, it’s critical to understand how to maintain it properly and avoid costly or unwelcome problems.
The Most Common Reasons for Driveway Damage
Despite your best efforts to keep your driveway in good condition, issues may arise that are out of your control. The capacity of a driveway is determined by the strength of the materials used in its construction. Here are some of the most common causes of driveway damage.
Large, Heavy Vehicles
A vehicle’s weight can cause cracking in the surface of a driveway, especially if the car is more than 4.5 tons in weight. Although driveways can resist enormous strain, they are not impervious to damage. Therefore, large vehicles, such as delivery trucks and moving trucks should be driven with caution onto your property. The capacity of the driveway will depend on the quality, type, and strength of the materials used in its construction.
Poor Construction
Inadequately constructed driveways are more susceptible to cracking and damage. Your driveway will begin to deteriorate if it was made using substandard methods or low-quality materials. Additionally, the structural integrity of prematurely dried concrete will be compromised since it will not have had time to harden and strengthen. This usually happens when the mixed concrete is exposed to excessive heat while being dried.
Natural Soil Movement
The earth is continually moving and shifting; it is a dynamic system. These motions are undetectable at first, but over time, they can cause the soil beneath your driveway to shift slightly, causing your driveway to move significantly. The slow adjustments can impact the way the concrete is laid on the ground. An uneven driveway is more susceptible to cracking due to this condition. Some geographical areas are more susceptible to movement in foundations due to the top soil being a reactive, clay like soil. This is something to find out when you are considering purchasing a property as it will impact the maintenance that will be required to keep things in tip top shape.
Ground and Surface Water
Water is one of your driveway’s most serious problems. Keep an eye out for water running on the sides of your driveway. If water pools near your driveway, the bedrock underneath may become weakened, which can cause your driveway to break, sink or slope.
Water, for example, can damage the sand and gravel substrate beneath your driveway’s surface after a heavy downpour. This might cause the driveway’s surface to become deformed and cracked over time.

Is Resurfacing Your Driveway Going To be Sufficient?
Your driveway’s surface is put through its paces daily. Surface materials can degrade over time due to daily pressures from erosion, exposure to the elements, and heavy vehicles. Before embarking on repairing your driveway, it is important to examine the advantages and disadvantages of resurfacing versus replacing an entire driveway to make an informed decision.
Resurfacing a Driveway
You should resurface your driveway if it has more than a fourth of its surface damaged by minor cracks or other imperfections. It entails removing the damaged top layer of concrete from the driveway and replacing it with a fresh top layer of concrete.
Pros : Resurfacing is a more cost-effective choice than a complete driveway replacement, and it can extend the life of your existing driveway by up to 10 years.
Cons: Resurfacing your driveway is not a do-it-yourself activity and will entail some cost. You’ll need to engage a professional concrete contractor in your area.
Replacing The Whole Driveway
The driveway will most likely need to be replaced if it is older than 15 years and has a lot of damage. This includes deep cracks, pits, and other things that make the driveway look bad.
Pros: Replacing the whole driveway is a long-term solution, and you can start over and update its design. Putting in a new driveway is the best way to fix big cracks, potholes, and other major damage to the driveway. This could be an opportunity to change the location of the driveway if your property permits, considering if you plan to develop or subdivide your property for future developments including subdivisions.
Cons: This is the more expensive option and will cost more than resurfacing due to the amount of labour and materials involved. The time required to remove the existing slab, prepare the surface for a new slab including excavating, levelling, adding the base materials, will take time, as well as waiting for the concrete to be properly cured. This means that your driveway will be out of action for up to a couple of weeks depending on the contractors availability, speed and the weather.
The point in this comparison is to illustrate that resurfacing your driveway can do wonders in improving the aesthetics of your driveway and extend the life or your existing driveway by many years, however there are instances wherein concrete resurfacing is simply not enough and you will be better off investing your resources into replacing it all together. Either way, careful planning and discussion with an experienced concreter, as well as knowing all the costs involved will enable you to make an informed decision that will get you the outcome that you are hoping for.