A beautiful, decorative concrete driveway makes a great investment in your home. But homeowners often discover no driveway paving material stays completely maintenance-free.
You must maintain concrete driveways to keep them looking their best over the years to avoid cracking, shrinkage, scaling, spalling, and other forms of deterioration.
Let’s look at some tips to help you preserve the life and appearance of concrete driveways:
How To Maintain Concrete Driveways
Clean and Seal Your Driveway Every 1 to 2 Years
Even though decorative concrete driveways require very little routine maintenance and care, they need cleaning and sealing every one to two years. The cleaning process removes dust, airborne pollutants, leaves, and other contaminants from the surface of your driveway.
The sealant will protect your driveway from water damage caused by rain, oil-based chemicals, and other contaminants.
Power-Wash Your Concrete Driveway Regularly
If you don’t want to pay for professional cleaning services every year, consider power-washing concrete driveways between professional cleanings.
Using a power washing machine saves money over time—and it’s much easier and quicker than scrubbing with a broom or hose! Be sure that any power washing machine you buy has enough pressure to remove dirt without damaging the surface beneath it.
Maintain the Surrounding Drainage
One of the most important things you can do to maintain concrete driveways is to keep the drainage around them in good shape.
If you have an unfinished or unpaved portion of your property, grade it properly so that water will drain away from your concrete and not collect in low spots. If your concrete driveway has grass and other vegetation on the edges, trim these back so that weeds don’t grow up through the cracks in the concrete itself.
Remove Stains Immediately
Sealing your concrete protects it from absorbing stains from corrosive substances, such as oil, brake fluid, and other chemicals. However, should your driveway stain, the longer these stains remain on your driveway, the harder it will be to remove them with simple techniques, such as cleaning and pressure washing.
Avoid the Use of De-Icers
You may feel tempted to use de-icing chemicals on concrete driveways in winter. But it’s best to avoid them altogether. De-icers cause surface damage, such as scaling and spalling. In addition, these products may contain ammonium nitrates and ammonium sulfates, which chemically attack the concrete surface.
Sodium chloride or calcium chloride causes less damage but can corrode metal or vegetation on your driveway. As an alternative, sand makes an excellent agent for providing the required traction.
Don’t Park on the Concrete
Don’t park on the concrete!
This will prevent damage from vehicles with high tire pressure or those that sit parked on the surface for long periods (like motorcycles). If you need to park a vehicle on your concrete driveway, consider parking it off to one side and allowing the tires to rest on grass or mulch.
Check for Cracks Regularly
Checking for cracks plays an important role in maintaining concrete driveways. Catching cracks early will prevent further deterioration and lessen the extent of the repairs.
If you notice a crack, look at it from different angles to determine whether it is growing or not. If it does not appear to be worsening, you can wait until the next time you have time to do some maintenance before repairing it.
However, if it appears to be growing quickly or has already grown quite large, you should contact a professional immediately so they can repair it before it completely breaks apart.
Contact Us for Concrete Driveways Repair in the Central Coast and Central Valley
We know you have a lot on your plate, and you don’t have time to worry about the condition of your driveway. Are cracks starting to form? Is it starting to look dingy and old? If so, don’t worry—we’re here to help.
At SLG Concrete Coatings, we specialize in concrete driveway repair and maintenance. We can help you with all kinds of issues, including:
- Cracks in concrete that are starting to form
- Gravel or dirt coming up through the cracks and creating potholes in your driveway
- Uneven surfaces that make it difficult for cars to drive on them safely
- Chipping or peeling paint from your driveways after years of use
We’ve continuously served the Central Coast and Central Valley area in California for over 15 years and remain ready to help you with all your concrete driveway repair needs. We offer polyaspartic coatings with a 20-year warranty on residential concrete driveways and a 5-year warranty on commercial projects.
Contact us today for a free estimate!
