A lot of people love the beautiful snowy white scenery the winter season brings. However, some danger can also happen during this time when the roads are covered with ice. Your concrete driveway is no exception. Although concrete driveways are highly durable, they can still suffer the damage caused by ice and snow. If your concrete driveway has fallen victim to the cold weather, you might be thinking whether it needs to be repaired or replaced. Before you decide on anything, consider the following signs to help you determine whether repairing or replacing your concrete driveway is the best solution to the problem.
Signs of Damage to Look Out For
Before you can say that your driveway is damaged, you first have to know what a damaged driveway looks like. What do you need to look for? One of the most apparent signs of a damaged driveway is cracks. It can be small or large that stretches across the surface of your driveway. If you have previously used chemicals to handle the ice son your driveway, they may have caused the cracks to deepen and expand. They can also deepen due to water coming from the melting ice and seeps into the cracks. When water turns to ice, it expands which can cause the crack to widen.
You should also look for signs of divots or sunken areas. This usually occurs when the subgrade wasn’t appropriately installed resulting in the concrete not having proper support and vulnerable to sinking.
Assess the Damage
Not all issues are the same. You should assess the damage first so that you can come up with the most appropriate approach to resolve the problem. In most cases, if the crack or divot is more than two inches deep, it is best to replace it. If the issue is not as worse, it can be resolved with resurfacing.
Another thing you should consider is the age of your driveway. It is natural for old driveways to be more prone to damage, regardless of the season. For newly built driveways that have cracks, it is more likely that they were not installed properly; that is why they are acquiring cracks this early. They should be assessed for immediate repair.
To Repair or to Replace?
It can be challenging to decide whether repairing or replacing a concrete driveway is the best solution to a damaged driveway. There can be visible signs that can lead you to the answer, but it is still better to leave it to the hands of experienced professionals who know what to do in the situation. Some problems may seem small at first, but there can be an underlying source that needs to be dealt with immediately before they get worse. Whether you decide to replace or repair it, having it assessed and done by a professional will benefit you not only for the winter season but all year round.
Call the concrete driveway contractor Dayton trusts to properly assess your situation for repair or replacement.