Concrete driveway repair

[mscheer772]

After one season in the Midwest my driveway is severely spalling and flaking.

1.What can I do to repair this driveway for the long term?
I'm more interested in a remedy than the cause.

2.I would like the driveway to be the same color throughout.

3.Is there some kind of chemical I can use to fill in the areas that are pock marked, and apply an overlay to the whole driveway?

4.Where can I find a contractor to perform repair? I'm in Chicago area.

HELP!!!!!!

-Mike-

 

[zzvyb6]

I didn't think you could repair this kind of damage, but I recently played around with some special concrete mix from Lowes. Its a high strength, crack resistant premix that's all ready to add water too. Orange bags. I had some left over from a cement project and plastered it over some spalled and pitted driveway areas, no prep, no acid etch, just trowelled it on. It stuck very well and seems to be holding after a month. Color match is an issure but in a year it may mean I top coat the whole driveway with a 1/2" inch of it. Other cement recipes for patching and crack filling have not worked out very well. This is pretty good so far. Takes longer to fully harden (2 weeks, lets say), but I'm happy. No stones or gravel in it, just powdered mix. Makes a very smooth slurry. My pto cement mixer make it easy to cook up.

 

[Soundguy]

wow.. spalling and flaking.. that's bad. the large spls could be fille din with hyd cement patch.. bu the flakeing.. I'd just topcoat the thing.. sounds like you got bad concrete.. or did it perhaps freeze when you had it poured?

soundguy

 

[Whitey]

I would first try to find a specialty concrete or waterproofing contractor in your area. You could grind the top surface and apply stains and a protectant and have an exposed aggregate look. Or, you could talk to the same contractors and ask about a parking deck coating. There are alot of commercial coatings for parking decks that will cover a multitude of sins. Tamms Industries Euclid Chemical - Concrete and Masonry Admixtures has some products that we have used in the past. Neither one will be cheap. Good luck.

 

[mscheer772]

Thanks for the replies.

What is an exposed aggregate look. Does someone have a picture?
Soundguy it was either a bad mix a bad pour a bad finish or bad cure.
Any other suggestions?

-Mike-

 

[Soundguy]

exposed aggregate will be when the surface is ground down and instead of seing the brushed concrete texture, you will have a more smooth surface with the aggregate showing where it too has been ground. normally the creme rises and the aggregate settles so you don't see it on the surface. depending onthe addmix.. you will likely have irregular lighter white and yellow stones ground flat with the new surface of the crete'.. think of it as a real anemic and lean terazzo!

soundguy