Potholes and Cracks: What Causes Driveway Damage and How to Prevent It
Maintaining your driveway should be a top priority for homeowners. Driveways that have gone too long without maintenance or repair can have costly consequences. To save the most money and keep your driveway in its best condition, you should understand how damages can happen and what we can do to prevent them.
First, let’s go over some causes of driveway damage.
Natural Wear and Tear Due To Usage Over Time
Daily usage of your driveway will eventually cause some damage to the concrete or asphalt. Any weight or additional pressure on the driveway will cause damage like cracks or tears. As the concrete or asphalt ages, it is more likely to become damaged since strength declines.
Natural Wear and Tear Due To Usage Over Time
The weather will impact your driveway more in a place like Chicago, which experiences all four seasons. Water is very damaging to concrete or asphalt. Water can cause many problems, like early deterioration. During the colder months, salt is thrown on our driveways. The salt indirectly damages concrete by causing corrosion to occur under the surface. This can lead to discolored, cracked, and crumbling concrete.
Poor Construction
Construction errors can cause a lot of use of faulty materials. They can result in the lifespan of your driveway shortening.
The wrong materials can lead the concrete or asphalt to settle, warp, break, rust, or even chip. By hiring a professional concrete company, you can ensure that the materials used will allow your concrete to withstand the test of time.
Proper installation will also help you require less maintenance and a higher-quality concrete structure.
Construction errors can cause a lot of use of faulty materials. They can result in the lifespan of your driveway shortening.
The wrong materials can lead the concrete or asphalt to settle, warp, break, rust, or even chip. By hiring a professional concrete company, you can ensure that the materials used will allow your concrete to withstand the test of time.
Proper installation will also help you require less maintenance and a higher-quality concrete structure.
Improper Maintenance and Neglect
Construction errors can cause a lot of use of faulty materials. They can result in the lifespan of your driveway shortening.
The wrong materials can lead the concrete or asphalt to settle, warp, break, rust, or even chip. By hiring a professional concrete company, you can ensure that the materials used will allow your concrete to withstand the test of time.
When servicing your concrete, you want to ensure it is done on time and with a trusted company. Waiting too long between maintenance and repairs can cause more damage to your concrete. Due to how the structure maintains its strength, replacing your concrete after a certain amount of damage is better than repairing it.
While repairing, replacing, and maintaining your driveway are all great ideas once damage is found, there are some preventative measures you can take beforehand too.
Installing a reinforced driveway with thicker concrete or asphalt to withstand heavy loads can make a big difference in the lifespan of your concrete driveway. Sometimes trucks or machinery are needed for other projects, and you want to protect your driveway. When installing your driveway, ask your contractor for a reinforced driveway. Also, keep in mind to avoid parking heavy vehicles on your driveway.
Sealcoating your driveway regularly can help protect against weather damage. Cleaning and removing debris from the driveways can help prevent cracks and potholes. But most importantly, you should fill in any gaps, potholes, or chips as soon as possible to avoid further damage.
Driveways are a significant expense, and we want to make them last as long as possible. Taking the correct preventative measures and taking care of minor damage quickly can help extend the life of your concrete driveway. For all your driveway and parking needs, visit www.concrete-chicago.com
