Maintain_a_Driveway

Maybe your home had a concrete driveway when you bought it. Maybe you installed it after you moved in. But whether that driveway is new or old, it’s going to need some regular maintenance to retain the investment made in it. That’s especially true if your concrete driveway has developed cracks. Without repair, small cracks can become bigger and, before you know it, your driveway will need much more than maintenance.

If you moved to southern California from someplace that was colder, you know that cold, snowy winters and spring thaws can cause a driveway surface to crack. We don’t have that kind of weather in Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties, but that doesn’t mean that Mother Nature doesn’t do damage to our driveways here.

In southern California, the heavy rain that we can get after extreme droughts can cause water to infiltrate paved surfaces, washing away the sand and gravel underneath. That can leave areas of your beautiful concrete driveway without enough support and when you park your car or RV on it, it can begin to crack.

Reseal your concrete driveway and all joints regularly

So what do you do to maintain your concrete driveway? First, regularly seal any cracks with a high quality, industrial-grade sealant. At The Driveway Company of Southern California, we recommend resealing every 2 years in heavy traffic areas, and every 4 years for less. We’ll send you a reminder to help you stay on top of regular maintenance, but if you are having new concrete poured, you should ask your contractor to add that to their work order.

Also pay attention to the joints. In southern California, it’s not uncommon for the joints to be made of wood, and they will decay over time. Wood and other porous materials also draw water into concrete driveways, causing cracks. Take a look at your joints, and if they are beginning to fail, get them filled and sealed with something more durable. With joint sealing and filling, it’s really a good idea to work with high-quality materials that distribute well. At The Driveway Company, we work exclusively with Sherwin Williams products because of their durability and quality. The industrial grade materials we use are not only highly adhesive, they provide 50% flexibility to encourage movement. Our crews are trained in hand-tooling and finishing joint fills to blend with the existing concrete.

That’s today’s friendly maintenance tip from The Driveway Company of Southern California.