Joseph Faust Enterprises LLC Lawn Care and Landscaping
Concrete Replacement
Driveways, Sidewalks, Walkways, Patios, if it’s concrete we can either repair or replace it.
Concrete Replacement
Probably about the last thing you want to spend a lot of time think about, working on and paying for but sometimes, concrete replacement is the logical choice to insure you property retains and increases in value over time.
If your sidewalks and walkways, or driveway is cracked, which is a fairly common issue that develops over time, concrete replacement is the answer. In many cases gas, oil, deicing salt, and other harmful substances penetrate the driveway surface and worsein the cracks. Several things can cause concrete to crack that leads to concrete replacement.
Excess moisture when the concrete batch was mixed and poured. Concrete is full of water when it is in its liquid state, before it hardens. If excess or too much water is added, it makes the mix easier to install and finish initially. As the excess water evaporates and the concrete hardens the excess water leaves voids or empty spaces in the concrete making weaker spots in the slab. Over time as pressure is applied to the hardened concrete, cracks form. Often these types of cracks form from corners or joints inward and sometimes can run the length of a slab. Typically these cracks are narrow in width and barely visible. Often these cracks extend throughout the entire slab of concrete. Since these crack are all the way through the concrete slab over time as water freezes and thaws the crack tends to widen.
Expansion cracks, are caused by the heating and cooling of the concrete. Just like air expands in the hot summer weather, so does concrete. When concrete expands it pushes on anything and everything in its way. When two concrete slabs are pushing into each other the expanding force can cause the concrete to crack. Expansion joints are installed to separate concrete slabs to avoid cracking.
Heaving concrete is a perpetual problem in the Omaha, Council Bluffs area. When the ground freezes, depending on the moisture content in the soil, it can cause a huge amount of pressure to build up and heave concrete driveways and walkways. We have seen concrete slabs lifted several inches, which can cause heaving cracks as the concrete settles during the spring thaw. Another cause of heaving concrete are large tree or shrub roots that constantly push against the concrete slab causing it to crack.
Settling cracks happen where voids are formed underneath the concrete slab. Often water is draining and migrating under a concrete slab creating a hollow void underneath, you may have cut down a tree years ago and those roots have finally decade and left a void, the weight of the concrete itself or as additional pressure is applied to the top of the concrete the slab cracks allowing part of the slab to settle.
Concrete overloading can also cause cracking and flaking. Concrete is one of the strongest building materials ever created, but it does have its limits. Concrete supply companies will provide you with a concrete mix based on your typical intended usage of the concreted area. The PSI or pounds per square inch rating of the concrete mix refers to the strength of the slab, properly installed and hardened. So if you residential driveway has a PSI rating of 3000 pounds and you are parking a 20,000 pound mobile home in the same spot for 11 months a year, it’s easy to see why that might be a problem that could lead to concrete replacement.
You’ll remember that we began talking about excess moisture, too much water in the concrete mix when it was poured. Letting concrete dry too fast in hot weather can also doom your driveway and walkways to an early demise. Too quick or premature drying can cause very unsightly cracks and flaking that lead to concrete replacement. If you notice tiny cracks that look like marbling or a spider web you are seeing signs that the slab quick dried. While these cracks aren’t as sever as most of the other cracks we have discussed, they are very unsightly and can lead to your concrete flaking apart at the surface.
Regardless of why your concrete cracked the bottom line is it doesn’t look good, and can cause a dangerous situation if someone trips and is injured or if someone else’s property is damaged while driving over the broken concrete.
If your driveway, walkway or patio is cracked, heaving, uneven, flaking or just looks bad, we would love an opportunity to give you a free no obligation quote, and talk to you about your concrete replacement options.
We can show you a wide variety of options we can install, include plain concrete, colored or stained concrete, stamped concrete, and outlined concrete. We can also show you a wide selection of pavers we that make your driveway pop with color and sophistication.
If you’re tired of looking a plain grey concrete adding a little color might be just what you’re looking for. Concrete staining is become very popular and can be done in almost any color imaginable and it will completely change the look and feel of the outside of your home.
Since staining is actually a chemical reaction that takes place between the stain and the concrete, unique marbling effects give it a one of a kind look. Both new and your existing concrete can be stained. New concrete is poured allowed to cure for a set number of days and then stained. Your existing concrete surface must be properly prepared, which may require grinding or a chemical treatment to ensure that the stain will bond to the concrete. Once stained the concrete will be sealed to help protect it from moisture and UV rays. While staining can completely change the look of your driveway walkway your patio it does not cover major flaws in your concrete like large existing cracks, heaving slabs or significant discoloration.
Concrete stamping has also become very popular, when it comes to stamping concrete, timing is everything. Unlike staining that can be done any time, stamping must be done immediately after the concrete is poured, while it is still soft so that the concrete surface can receive the texture or pattern of the stamp. Shortly after the concrete is poured stamping begins. Often a color hardener is applied to the concreted and floated into the surface using a bull float. The stamp which is a large rubber mat is placed on top of the semi cured concrete and pounded to transfer the textures and patterns of the stamp. Like staining one secured stamped concrete is sealed to protect it from moisture and UV rays.
If you’re tired of looking at old worn out concrete we would love the opportunity to give you a free no obligation quote and show you all of the many beautiful things we can do when we replace your concrete.
Our Work – Concrete Replacement
