5 Signs You Need a New Concrete Driveway

A concrete driveway that’s in good condition doesn’t just help to maintain a positive first impression when visitors come calling. It also protects your car’s tyres from potential damage, helps to keep you safe and prevents long-term damage from poor drainage or pooling water.

So it’s important that you know when your current driveway has its best days behind it and it’s time to have a new one installed. 

With that in mind, here are our top five signs that it’s time to get a new concrete driveway.

Wide, deep or spreading cracks

The problem with cracks in concrete is that once they’re there, they aren’t going to get any better without some kind of significant intervention. That’s because they just let in more and more of the water, oil and other contaminants that are causing most of the trouble. They also open up the insides to greater variations in temperature, which can cause the concrete to expand and contract, further exacerbating any damage.

Catch it early enough and a more straightforward repair job may be enough to save the situation, but once those cracks reach a certain size, the only thing to do is start again with a new driveway.

Uneven slabs and trip hazards

Concrete slabs on a driveway can move out of alignment as a result of erosion, improper installation or the ground settling and shifting underneath. Whatever the reason, however, the end result is effectively the same – an uneven driveway that can easily damage your car and become a trip hazard to anyone walking on it.

Meanwhile, as on the road, potholes can also appear on a driveway and be just as easily tripped over. And although you shouldn’t be hitting them at speed when driving, as you would on a road, bouncing over them day after day could still result in cumulative damage to your tyres.

Surface spalling

Even if there are no cracks present, freeze-thaw cycles, contaminants and poor initial installation can still lead to a damaged driveway in the form of spalling. This is when the surface of the concrete flakes, peels or chips away. 

Concrete spalling isn’t just detrimental to the appearance of a driveway, it can also expose the underlying aggregates and create a potentially dangerous pitted and uneven surface.

Drainage and water problems

Modern driveways have to be constructed from porous materials or incorporate a drainage system that directs rainwater into soil or the sewers. Older driveways probably won’t have been built to these high standards, which means that you may get pooling water that can cause long-term damage by finding its way into even the smallest cracks.

More extensive damage is likely to happen when that water freezes and thaws, as we’ve already discussed previously.

Repeated repairs

As with a car, there can come a time with a concrete driveway when you find that you’re just throwing good money after bad. In other words, you’re spending so much on getting it fixed that it becomes more cost-effective to start again with a brand new driveway.

Plus, those repairs won’t last as long or look as attractive as a new driveway, no matter how much care and trouble you put into them.

Are you looking to upgrade your home with a new driveway? Here at Stewart Brothers Concrete, we’ve been mixing and pouring top-quality driveway concrete for customers across Kent and East Sussex for well over 35 years.

With three local depots – at Dover, Sittingbourne and Ashford – we’re equipped to take on any job at short notice and deliver your concrete at just the right time to make sure your project is completed successfully.

Get in touch with us today to find out more and ask for a cost-effective quotation.

For more information on 5 Signs You Need a New Concrete Driveway talk to Stewart Brothers Concrete