How to stop cracks in a concrete driveway?

Question

Two years ago I installed a new concrete driveway. Living in a freeze/thaw area of the country, I used gravel for drainage and installed 4 inch fiber reinforced concrete. Now I am seeing hairline cracks across the width of the driveway. At first I thought it was curing cracks. However, since the cracks are becoming wider, I attribute this to settlement. Any suggestions on how to fix, repair, or mitigate the cracking before it becomes worse and unsightly?

Answer 1

Concrete cracks, sorry. Did you put in expansion joints or trawl in lines into concrete? These are done to ease the expansion or contraction. When you trawl a line in the concrete you are trying to make it so if it does crack, It'll crack on the line (doesn't always work).

There is one thing that can be done and that is to score a line in the concrete with a walk behind concrete saw or a chop saw (walk behind is best). What your doing is cutting a grove in the concrete to try relieve the stress and make it so the crack forms in the line. Here again this doesn't always work. I've done it and sometimes it works and other times not.

The concrete is going to take it's course. With freezing and thawing and heat in the summer there's not much you can do but patch it, sorry. Next time think about pavers They really are the best solution. they will move with the heat and cold and are easier to repair a section if needed.

Good luck, wish I could give you an easy answer.

Answer 2

It is to late to do what needed to be done before the driveway was installed. A well packed bed well blended with soil cement should have been used under the initial pour of concrete. The driveway should have been well crowned to drain water away from the surface.

There is a concrete crack filler that looks somewhat like buttermilk and it will seal and bond the cracking parts. Ask at your local Lowe's store.

Answer 3

When they poured the driveway did the split the pour, meaning did they leave expansion joints? Did they use rebar to reinforce the concrete? Did they dig the driveway deep enough? I have a large concrete driveway with no cracks for about 6 months now. It also depends on the size of the cracks.

Answer 4

One of the biggest reasons concrete cracks is because the temperture causes concrete to expand and contract. If you don't allow for this when you pour the drive/side walks they crack. You can repair the drive with a patch ( they sell them at any hardware store or home improvement center).

Also because of the expense of putting in a concrete drive for it to last longer and stay looking good I would recommend next time go an extra step and actually reinforce your drive with wire and rebar, even when your drive starts to settle that should eliminate or at the very least minimize it cracking.

Good luck I know you put alot of work and money into this project.
Twila

Answer 5

Frustrating, isn't it?
Concrete cracks due to settlement, freeze/thaw and the lack of control joints plus a few other factors. The idea is to do everything possible to keep the water from getting under the concrete.
Lowes or Home Depot sells a product simply called Concrete Crack Filler. It pours out from a spout provided. It is a good product to use because it remains pliable and will move with the inevitable movement of your concrete.
Good luck to you.

Answer 6

Preparation is the key, but what you've described should have sufficed. I can only assume you didn't put cuts in. That's usually the culprit, if you've done your prep job correctly. Cutting now, about 8 foot squares, will minimize any further cracks from happening and the existing ones travelling beyond the section they occupy.
As for repairing the existing damage, you can either use an epoxy filler or remove that section and start new. Take note, however, you won't be able to get a colour match.

Answer 7

You can not stop cracks unless yu remove the section and repour the concrete. Best to fill in with a concrete repair and patch compound from th home improvement center. Patch as they develope. You can seal the concrete then water is less likely to get into the creaks and worsen

Answer 8

There is probably no way to stop the increased cracking at this point... Next time use raised highway mesh in the slab and make the single poured sections smaller by using 1" X 4"'s every six feet in the lenght of the driveway and down the center of the drive way for it's width... This will allow you to have some flexibility in your driveway for heavy loads, settling and root systems... and the mesh will add to it's overall strenght...

Answer 9

If it is indeed settlement, there's nothing you can do other than keep patching the cracks as they grow. But unless you're seeing actual displacement (e.g., some sections lower than others) I'm guessing your problem may be more due to inadequate jointing or freeze-thaw when water gets in the joints. Both of those can be dealt with, as other posters have noted.

Good luck!

Answer 10

There is a caulking-like substance that is made of an elastic material that is specifically made for use as a crack filler; check with your local hardware store, Lowe's Menard's, Home Depot, etc. It's a fairly common item, made under a few different brand names like DAP, etc. It comes in tubes like caulk does, and is dispensed with a caulking gun. Not expensive and easy to work with.

Hope this helped.