Driveway is cracked all over - resurface or replace?

Signs the base has failed

• Sections at different heights across a crack.
• Cracks wider than roughly a quarter of an inch.
• Spalling, where the surface flakes off in sheets.
• Visible sinking near the apron, where delivery trucks turn.

Coating over any of those buys you a season of appearance and then the same crack, in the same place, through the new surface.

What makes a new driveway last

• A properly compacted base. This is what people underpay for, and it is the whole job.
• Adequate thickness — four inches is typical for residential, thicker at the apron.
• Fibre or mesh reinforcement.
• Control joints cut early and at sensible spacing, roughly every eight to ten feet.

The other usual suspect

Tree roots. If a mature oak sits within a few feet of the slab, a new driveway without a root barrier or a design that accommodates the roots will crack again, and removing the tree is often neither permitted nor desirable. Deal with the cause in the design rather than in the concrete.

Before you sign a quote

1. 1Ask what base preparation is included and how it is compacted.
2. 2Ask the slab thickness, at the drive and at the apron.
3. 3Ask when the control joints are cut — early matters.
4. 4Ask who is responsible if the county requires a permit for the apron in the right of way.

The same reasoning applies around the pool, with one difference — pavers are more forgiving there: cracked pool deck options.

Concrete, pavers or asphalt

• Concrete: the default here, lowest maintenance, cracks eventually and is patched visibly.
• Pavers: more expensive, move with the ground, and individual sections can be lifted and reset rather than replaced.
• Asphalt: uncommon on residential drives in this area and softens in the heat.

If tree roots are the cause, pavers are usually the better long-term answer, because the failure is repairable rather than permanent. If the drive is simply old, concrete done properly is the cheaper lifetime cost.

Plan the disruption

A replacement means no vehicle on the drive for several days while the concrete cures, and a route for the crew to get plant to the back if the job includes a walk or a patio.

Ask how long before you can walk on it, drive on it and park a heavy vehicle on it. Those are three different dates, and driving on new concrete too early is how a new driveway gets its first crack.