Driveway, Patio, and Sidewalk Replacement Process:
- The first step in replacing a concrete driveway is to break up the
old driveway and haul it away.
- Then, depending on the nature of the ground under the driveway,
the contractor may put down additional gravel or fill to create a
more solid base for the concrete. Without a good base, the driveway
is more likely to settle and/or crack. Additional fill is needed in
roughly half of the cases.
- Next, the contractor installs temporary forms to hold the wet concrete.
The forms, as the name implies, form a template, almost like a cookie
cutter.
- Once the forms are in place, the concrete arrives and is poured
into them.
- The concrete is smoothed, and expansion joints are cut.
- The concrete hardens inside the forms.
- Once the concrete is hard, the forms are removed. Expansion joints.
As the name implies, expansion joints allow the concrete to expand
or contract with temperature. Without such joints, repeated expansion
or contraction often results in cracks. In temperate climates, industry
experts recommend cutting expansion joints approximately every 15
feet. In addition to preventing cracks, expansion joints can stop
cracks from propagating. If a crack hits an expansion joint, it usually
will not continue into the section of concrete on the other side of
the joint.
- Even with proper expansion joints, driveways often crack. Due to
the variability of materials and terrain, many established companies
will not guarantee their driveways against aesthetic cracking.
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