The Reasons your Concrete Driveway is Cracking

One of the biggest cause of concrete cracking is poor concrete mix designs by the concrete suppliers or concreters due to lack of experience with local conditions affecting concrete finishes and poor concrete mix design (Eg: too much or too little water, an improper ratio of cement to gravel in the mix).

Another common cause of cracking and pitting problems is poor quality concrete used by the suppliers or concreter. For example, a cheap source of concrete mixes (e.g. soil or aggregates type) and is not adequately screened to remove dirt, stones, and other particles in concrete. This low-quality mix will result in a weakly set cement paste which is easily stressed under the load of vehicles driving over the driveway, causing cracking of the surface of the concrete.

Pitting concrete forms small holes or pits, often due to the concrete being laid at too high a moisture content. This can be avoided by ensuring that concrete is not laid when it is overly wet (e.g. rainfall on top of freshly concreted concrete), which will cause the pores in the concrete to clog up with water and prevent concrete from properly curing.

A concrete driveway is an investment in your property, and setting concrete properly will ensure a long-lasting driveway. It is recommended to obtain at least a couple of concrete quotes, with care taken that the concrete suppliers are experienced in local conditions so they can provide advice on how to set the concrete correctly for your area. This will help ensure that you get a proper finish product that will last for years. Ask your contractor how long the driveways would last. Concrete is not cheap to install, as concrete professionals, they should be able to provide the life expectancy information with confidence.

In conclusion, your concrete driveway may not seem like something worth worrying about, but high-quality workmanship can save you a fortune by preventing defects and damages on your driveway. If you are looking for top-notch concrete driveway installation, repairs or maintenance services, then get in touch with our team in Bendigo Concrete on 03 4420 4768 today to get a free instant quote!