Maintaining a concrete driveway for years or even decades can be very difficult.
On average, a concrete driveway is supposed to last around 30 years however, wouldn’t you want your driveway to last longer and look like it’s brand new everyday?
With these following tips and tricks, you’ll be sure to have the newest looking driveway in town.
Cleaning It
It may sound too simple and easy but trust me, it’s always overlooked. Even spending 5 minutes everyday or week cleaning your driveway and making it look fresh and new.
To simply clean it, grab a broom to sweep away all the dirt, twigs and leaves. This tidies up the driveway with a few quick swoops.
To be extra clean, use a pressure washer to get rid of any hard to clean spots like in between the cracks of the pavement. Add some soap on the concrete driveway for more clean results.
Avoiding Plant Roots
You may not have noticed this before but roots of plants and trees can actually break through your concrete driveways. This is because roots of a plant can grow under your driveway and push up the concrete over time.
To prevent this, try not to add any large trees and plants next to the driveway or close enough so that roots can grow in the direction of the driveway.
But if you already have some trees and plants installed, consider getting a root barrier to block the roots from growing under the concrete driveway.
Cleaning Up Potential Stains and Excess Water
A lot can go on, on the driveway; rain, water fights, oil spills, grease spills, etc. To have the best concrete driveway you must make sure this stuff can’t stay on the driveway. This can lead to stains and permanent markings on the pavement.
Avoid this by soaking up the mess and throwing it away. Cleaning up these stains as quickly as you can lowers the chance of potential staining of the pavement. You wouldn’t want a yellow patch on your driveway, would you?
Puddles of water should also be wiped away to prevent not only stains but sometimes even moulding! So next time there’s a storm make sure to wipe away all the water.
The biggest trick here is to wipe it up before it stains.
Adding Sealant to the Driveway
It’s a good idea to think about the concrete driveway once in a while. Then you might remember that you need to reseal or seal the driveway.
Sealing the driveway is a good way to stop stains from forming and weathering from occurring on the pavement, protecting it from harsh weather.
Sealing the driveway is easy and can be done on your own. Buy some concrete sealant from any hardware store and add on a coat of the sealant. Try to reseal it every two years to keep it extra strong over the years.
Doing this makes sure the driveway is protected at all times without you doing anything. The experts at Gladstone Concreters can help you with this, call us today!
Filling in the Cracks
If by any chance a crack in the concrete appears, make sure to patch it back up quickly. By fixing it quickly you’ll prevent further damage and cracks on the driveway.
To fix a crack in the concrete, clean out the crack, apply the concrete patcher that can be found at a local hardware store, flatten out the patch and let it sit overnight.
Occasionally, check if there are any cracks to avoid major cracks in the future.
Key Tips:
- Clean regularly (sweep away debris)
- Keep plant roots away
- Wipe away liquids and things that can stain quickly
- Apply sealant
- Check for cracks and fill them in
With these tips and tricks protect the driveway and make it look new. You’ll have the best-looking concrete driveway. Reach out to our team of expert concreters today to explore the ways in which we can offer our assistance!
