Concrete Repair and Resurfacing
Not every ugly slab needs a jackhammer. Concrete that is structurally sound but cracked, flaking or worn on top can often be repaired or resurfaced. The trick is telling cosmetic damage from a slab that is failing underneath.
Repair or replace?
Repair makes sense when the slab is still in one plane, the base is sound and the damage is mostly on the surface. Replacement makes more sense when panels have shifted, broken through or scaled down to the stone across large areas.
- Good candidates: hairline cracks, open joints, light scaling, small spalls
- Poor candidates: heaved or sunken panels, deep widespread scaling
Repair estimate request
About a minute. Send the details and expect a call back to talk the project through.
- Common scope
- Clean and seal cracks and joints, patch spalls, bonded overlay
- Surface prep
- Remove loose material down to sound concrete
- Limits
- A repair is only as strong as the concrete it bonds to
- Color
- Repairs rarely match the original exactly
Reading the damage
Hairline and shrinkage cracks
NRMCA notes that most random cracks appearing at an early age, while unsightly, rarely affect structural integrity or service life (NRMCA, CIP 4: Cracking Concrete Surfaces). Fine cracks that stay tight are usually cosmetic. Sealing them keeps water and salt out, which matters in a freeze-thaw climate.
Cracks that are opening or offset
A crack that widens each year, or where one side sits higher than the other, points to movement below: clay swelling or shrinking, a washed-out base, or a tree root. Sealing alone will not stop it. The cause has to be addressed, and the panel may need lifting or replacement.
Scaling
NRMCA defines scaling as flaking or peeling of the finished surface from freeze-thaw exposure. Light scaling does not expose the coarse aggregate; moderate scaling exposes it and may take off roughly an eighth to three-eighths of an inch of surface mortar; severe scaling leaves stone clearly standing out (NRMCA, CIP 2: Scaling Concrete Surfaces). Light to moderate scaling on a sound slab can often be resurfaced. Severe, progressing scaling across a whole driveway is usually a replacement conversation.
Spalls and popouts
Spalls are chunks broken off, often along joints or edges where a car tire or plow blade catches. Popouts are small cone-shaped pits where a particle near the surface expanded. Small spalls can be patched; many popouts are cosmetic.
D-cracking
NRMCA describes D-cracks as cracking from freeze-thaw deterioration of certain porous aggregates, typically starting near joints at the bottom of exterior slabs and showing up at later ages (NRMCA, CIP 4: Cracking Concrete Surfaces). It is one of the exceptions where cracks signal long-term trouble, and repairs tend to be temporary.
Repair methods
Crack and joint sealing
Cracks and joints are cleaned out and filled with a flexible sealant made for concrete movement. Sealed joints keep water from reaching the base, which matters on clay that swells when wet. Resealing joints every few years is ordinary maintenance.
Patching
Spalled areas are cut back to sound concrete with clean edges, cleaned, and filled with a repair mortar designed to bond. Feathered patches over loose material tend to pop off after a winter or two.
Bonded resurfacing
For scaled but sound slabs, NRMCA describes removing unsound surface material by chisel, sandblasting, high-pressure washing or jackhammer, then applying a thin bonded resurfacing such as portland cement concrete, latex-modified concrete or polymer-modified cementitious repair mortar. It also cautions that the repair will only be as strong as the base it bonds to and will not match the original color (NRMCA, CIP 2: Scaling Concrete Surfaces).
Decorative overlays
Some overlays can be textured, stamped or colored, giving a tired patio a new look. They need the same sound base and careful preparation, and they need a sealer.
Why repairs fail
- Poor preparation: bonding to dirt, sealer, oil or loose material.
- Movement below: patching over a slab that is still heaving or settling.
- Wrong material: a rigid patch in a moving crack, or a product not rated for freeze-thaw.
- Salt too soon: de-icers on fresh repair material.
Preventing the next round
Most surface damage around Wichita traces back to water, freeze-thaw and salt. Keep water moving off slabs, seal joints, use de-icers sparingly and consider a breathable sealer. NRMCA's list for preventing scaling ends with two homeowner steps: consider a commercial breathable sealer, and avoid de-icing chemicals in the first winter, using them moderately after that (NRMCA, CIP 2: Scaling Concrete Surfaces). See concrete sealing and cracks, joints and heaving.
When to stop repairing
If a driveway has been patched for several winters running, panels have shifted in different directions, or scaling has reached the stone across most of the surface, the money may be better spent on tear-out and replacement. The estimate factors page lays out what changes the scope either way.
Sizing up the job: see what changes the size of a repair job on the estimate-factors page. It lists what moves the scope, never a price.
Further reading
Concrete Repair & Resurfacing: what people ask
Can cracked concrete be repaired instead of replaced?
Often, if the slab is still level and the base is sound. Sealing cracks and joints and patching spalls is normal maintenance. Shifted or broken-through panels usually need lifting or replacement.
What causes concrete to flake on top?
That is scaling. NRMCA links it to freeze-thaw cycles on saturated concrete, made worse by de-icers, non-air-entrained mixes, finishing with bleed water on the surface and poor curing.
Does resurfacing last?
A bonded overlay can last when it goes on a sound, well-prepared slab and the original causes are addressed. NRMCA notes a repair is only as strong as the surface it bonds to.
Will a repair match my existing concrete?
Rarely exactly. NRMCA notes repair material will not match the color of the original. A full resurfacing gives a uniform look.
Should I seal cracks before winter?
Sealing in dry fall weather keeps water out of cracks before freeze-thaw season and keeps water from softening the base on clay soils.
What are D-cracks?
Cracks caused by freeze-thaw breakdown of certain porous aggregates. NRMCA notes they start near joints at the bottom of slabs and appear at later ages; repairs tend to be short-lived.
Can I fix concrete cracks myself?
Small cracks and joint sealing are common DIY jobs with products sold for concrete. Patching spalls and resurfacing take more preparation to bond well.
How do I know if the slab is still moving?
Mark the crack ends and measure the width or offset across a season or two. Growth means movement below that sealing alone will not fix.
Repair estimates by town
Soil, permit offices and housing age change from one town to the next. Pick yours for local notes.
In Wichita
North of Wichita
West and northwest
South of Wichita
East into Butler County
Often planned alongside
Sunken Slab Lifting & Leveling
Raising sunken driveway, walk, patio and garage-apron panels with injected grout or foam, when the slab is intact and the cause is understood.
Concrete Sealing
Breathable penetrating sealers, film-forming sealers for decorative work, and joint and crack sealing that keep water and salt out of Wichita slabs.
Concrete Tear-Out & Replacement
Breaking out failed driveways, walks, patios and slabs, hauling the debris, fixing the base and pouring new concrete in its place.
Planning repair work?
Send the details and expect a call back to talk the project through.