Resurfacing A 20-Year Old Driveway
Old worn-out concrete that looks like it’s been weather-beat and delaminating where it exposes the aggregate is what in the concrete language is referred to as “Spalling”. In our example of “Resurfacing A 20-Year-Old Driveway” demonstrates this “spalling” process which is common in a harsh climate where temperature swings can be as much as 50 degrees in a 24-hour period. Such extreme ‘Hot’ and ‘Cold’ conditions cause severe and erratic movement on the concrete surface during the freeze/thaw cycles of each day during the cold winter months. This erratic movement when combined with the moisture that absorbs then freezes into the surface of the concrete begins to slowly separate the “cream” created from the troweled finishing of the portland cement from the sand and gravel mixture causing this thin layer of portland cement to separate and “pop-off” in tiny circles, leaving the aggregate underneath exposed.
It takes years and many seasons of this ‘spalling’ process to begin to show through as a widespread failure of the concrete’s surface – leaving behind this unsightly ‘rocky’ surface of unevenness throughout the concrete surface area.
The science behind this “spalling” pattern can be linked primarily to generally one thing that takes place during the application and placement of the newly poured concrete mixture – too much water! Whether more than enough water is added to the mix prior to placement or the water is added to the surface shortly after placement to help the finishers finish the concrete or, the newly placed concrete gets rained on or frozen, either during or shortly after the concrete was finished – are all directly related to the cause of failure of the concrete product.
This brings us to how it’s possible to renew such a damaged surface and be confident that such a newly applied resurfacer can last.
Concrete Design Systems has found a Resurfacing process that can extend the life of concrete for decades. Over the course of 45 years working with ‘spalling’ concrete, CDS has come up with a solution for 90% of damaged concrete. As long as the concrete is structurally sound, most ‘spalled’ concrete surfaces are salvageable.
Statistically, CDS has found that the odds for success are 500 to 1. Pretty impressive!
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