If you have decided to install a concrete driveway in your home or business, it will pay for itself over time. An asphalt driveway made from concrete is virtually impervious to most kinds of calamities which attack asphalt driveways. Concrete is also one of the best options when it comes to driveway design because it’s very resistant to weathering. All in all, concrete driveway installation isn’t that difficult but there are still a few things that need to be taken into consideration before beginning the project.
Cracks are perhaps the most common problem associated with concrete driveways. They can occur anywhere along the length of a drive way, from the ground up. The number of cracks that asphalt driveway experiences will depend on the age of the concrete surface and how it’s been treated. But no matter when they occur, cracks in a concrete driveway are a hassle that any homeowner will have to deal with, so it’s only natural that people want to do everything possible to keep them from forming.
Most concrete driveways are reinforced with either rebar or by pouring heavy amounts of concrete into the space between holes. Rebar isn’t ideal for concrete surfaces because it’s not very dense. For this reason, you shouldn’t expect to see very good results from your concrete reinforcement with rebar. Instead, you should use high-quality concrete slabs that are reinforced with rebar that’s precisely stacked and positioned. Using a slab that’s too thick or that has poor compression qualities will compromise the effectiveness of your concrete driveway reinforcement efforts.
Another thing that you should do to help ensure the effectiveness of your concrete driveway is to level the surface before pouring it. It’s a very bad idea to pour concrete on a level surface; because as the concrete sets, it will move and can even widen the existing potholes. This doesn’t just mean that your concrete will have to be repaired or repaired from time to time. On top of that, concrete moves quite a bit, especially when it’s wet. The heavier and denser a concrete surface is, the harder it will be to level properly, so if you don’t make sure the surface is well-leveled, you could end up wasting a lot of rebar and concrete.
In addition to the surface you need to level, you also need to gravel the area. Most gravel is a little too coarse for many concrete driveway surfaces, so you should look for something a little looser and more medium-grit. You can use a power-drill, or if you have a hand truck, you can drive gravel back and forth in your garage until you find the right consistency. If you’re going from floor to ceiling, you’ll need to put at least four inches of gravel in each foot of new gravel.
Finally, the final part of concrete driveway installation involves checking the slump rating, which is usually done by an engineer or a carpenter. If you have a very steep slope, then you probably need to add an extra set of slabs to your project. You may not notice it at first, but over time the extra slabs will cut down on how deep your driveway can sink into the ground. If you choose to use air entrainment to help with this problem, it’s important that you check the slump rating with every application to make sure you’re using enough air.