Cracked Driveway
If you have issues with uneven and cracked concrete in the driveway, it’s important to fix those problems. Find a concrete repair team near you.
A cracked, uneven driveway is a frustrating thing to come home to.
As a homeowner, it’s important to address all sorts of problems that may arise in and around your home as those problems arise. The good news is that it’s possible to fix your driveway with concrete lifting solutions. Here’s what you need to know about lifting that uneven concrete.
Why Does a Concrete Driveway Crack?
First and foremost, many homeowners don’t even know why concrete driveways crack in the first place. There are a variety of reasons you might end up see it in front of your home.
- Weight Problems
One potential problem that can result in concrete driveway sinking is weight issues. If the initial construction workers didn’t plan for enough weight on top of the concrete driveway, you can end up with serious driveway sinking concerns because the driveway wasn’t supposed to hold as much weight as it does. Concrete is actually quite brittle; it doesn’t bend when the ground beneath it settles—it cracks.
This might become a problem especially if you leave a large car parked in one place on the driveway for long periods. For example, if you have a car you rarely drive or a car that doesn’t work, you might end up with more uneven concrete problems than you would if this car didn’t stay parked in the driveway at all times.
- Soil Erosion
Many homeowners deal with soil erosion problems throughout their concrete driveway. Soil erosion can happen for several reasons. You might have soil erosion problems if you have a lot of rain or flooding in the area or if the contractors who initially poured the concrete didn’t make sure the soil had enough preparation.
The more the soil underneath the driveway erodes, the higher possibility you have of ending up with a cracked driveway. That’s because the driveway no longer has the same amount of support on all sides.
- Poor Initial Pouring
Although it’s not common, it is possible that the construction crew that initially poured your concrete just didn’t do a very good job of it. There are several steps that a construction crew has to take before, during, and after the concrete pouring process. Just doing one of these steps incorrectly is enough to completely ruin the concrete’s structural stability.
This shouldn’t be your initial suspicion when you have issues with an uneven driveway. However, regardless of the reason, there are many ways that you can fix your uneven driveway. That means even if the concrete pouring didn’t go well on its initial pour, you can still fix the problems that led to the concrete concerns.
Common Concrete Problem Signs
Common Causes for Concrete Problems
What Problems Arise from a Cracked Driveway?
Some homeowners may think, “So what?” Why does an uneven concrete driveway even matter? A damaged driveway can have a huge impact on your home’s health and the health of your home’s residents.
- Car Concerns
When you drive over uneven cracks every day, you may end up with car troubles. This often happens when the uneven driveway meets up with a secondary concrete slab. For example, if your driveway has a sunken edge that meets up with the sidewalk and your car drives over it every day, that means your car’s experiencing a pretty sudden drop every time you drive over it.
This can seriously damage your car. You can end up with suspension problems, tire wear, and more. That can significantly increase the amount of money you have to spend on fixing it, which means you might spend more money not fixing the concrete than you would on fixing it.
- Tripping and Falling
When you walk across the cracked driveway, you can end up tripping. Elderly individuals and people who have problems with walking are the most at risk for tripping and falling problems. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean those are the only two groups that will end up tripping and falling and potentially harming themselves. No matter who you are, it’s a good idea to fix the concrete to avoid tripping and falling.
- Aesthetic Issues
A cracked driveway is a huge aesthetic concern. Aesthetics might not seem like a huge issue, but they can significantly devalue your home. This becomes a bigger issue when you want to sell your home. If you fix your driveway sooner rather than later, you’ll save yourself a bundle when it comes time to sell.
FAQs About Concrete Lifting for Uneven Concrete Driveways
Some homeowners might wonder whether the concrete in their driveway is important enough to require lifting. However, this is a misunderstanding of why you need to lift concrete. It’s necessary because the underlying issue tends to be something that you need to fix regardless of aesthetics.
- The Importance of Concrete in Your Driveway
First and foremost, you need to think about how important your driveway concrete is. After all, it’s some of the first concrete that people will notice when they see your home. Plus, it tends to have close ties to the concrete that’s a part of your home’s foundation.
If you’re seeing cracks in your driveway concrete, there’s a reason for it. That reason may be hidden deep underneath your home or it may be relatively obvious to an expert, but either way, it’s connected to the rest of your home. That means fixing it can be extremely beneficial for your home structure as a whole.
- Your Home’s Structural Stability
Your home’s structural stability rests on a variety of elements. However, driveway concrete is a great thing to pay attention to if you’re trying to maximize structural stability overall. That’s because driveway concrete tends to indicate the structural stability of other concrete in your home.
If you’re going to pay attention to your home’s structural stability, you do need to lift your driveway concrete. Otherwise, you’re likely ignoring a serious underlying problem. Contacting an expert to get more information about your driveway concrete is one of the best ways to ensure that you have no related concerns.
Concrete lifting problems come in many shapes and sizes, but some homeowners think that the concrete lifting problem has to be impacting the home a specific amount before they tackle it. However, the truth of the matter is that you need to fix your concrete lifting issues as soon as you notice them.
- Fixing Problems Early On
Ideally, you should fix any concrete lifting problems you notice early on. It’s important to make sure correcting this issue is at the top of your list of priorities. That’s because the longer you allow concrete to sink, the more difficult it will be to lift when you finally get around to it. It will also cause more damage over time, which could necessitate a replacement instead of a repair.
Fixing your problems early on will also be beneficial because it’ll help you catch secondary problems when they’re still in their infancy. When you have an expert in to help you with concrete lifting, that expert can also notice potential concerns like issues with other concrete structures, such as cracked and uneven sidewalks. It’s always better to find out about these things early on.
- The Issues with Fixing Problems Later On
Fixing problems later on also tends to cause even worse problems. This is especially true if you eventually end up with cracked concrete, which you often will when one side of the concrete sinks faster than another side. If you wait for too long with cracked concrete, you may end up at a point where you can only repour the concrete and you won’t be able to fix the current concrete slab.
You’re also more likely to see secondary problems with concrete sinking if you don’t fix it early on. For example, if you wait for a long time, your concrete may start sinking underneath the home. It can also cause tire problems if the driveway sinks dramatically below where your garage sits. Fixing the problems early will avoid these concerns.
If you currently have a sunken concrete driveway, there’s no need to worry too much. There are a variety of fixes that you can use for sunken concrete driveways. These fixes are a great way to maintain your concrete driveway as effectively as possible. Here are a few things to consider when it comes to sunken concrete driveways.
- Polyurethane Foam Injections
Polyurethane foam injections are one of the best options for sunken concrete driveways. They’re immensely effective, but also easy to add to your home. They’ve been a crucial part of commercial concrete lifting for many years now. Even if you’ve never heard of polyurethane foam injections before, chances are that your concrete repair expert will suggest it.
With polyurethane foam injections, an expert will inject a foam mix underneath the concrete. It will swell dramatically in size, hardening within just a few hours and allowing you to continue using the concrete with no problems. In most areas, homeowners can start using the lifted concrete within just a few minutes, which is much better than many older fixes that required days or weeks of curing time.
- Other Unique Options
Of course, other options might work well for your unique situation. If you’ve waited too long and your driveway is nothing but cracks, you might need to repour the concrete slab. There are also other fixes for concrete sinking that might work best for your driveway.
Whether you opt for polyurethane foam injections or you try a different concrete lifting process, you can rest assured that you’ll be able to get your concrete driveway back up and running as quickly as possible. It all depends on who’s able to work with you to achieve a solution. Just talk to a concrete repair expert to make sure you’re getting the best option for your unique problems.
Fixing your uneven concrete driveway should be near the top of your list of priorities. However, that doesn’t mean you should go ahead with trying to fix it yourself. Think about the potential for problems that may arise with your uneven concrete driveway.
- DIY Issues
Concrete driveway lifting isn’t something you can just do with a mix from a big box store. Lifting is a complicated process that requires a lot of specialization, even when you have the best products in the business. A box of concrete slurry isn’t one of the best products, so why would you use it?
An expert’s help will provide you with great products and a great experience, not just one or the other. Experts have trained for years and gone through hundreds of jobs that have had problems just like yours. When you’re doing a DIY fix, you don’t get either of those things, making it more likely that the problem won’t get a clear fix.
- Expert Fixes
There are some things around your home that you might be able to DIY, but concrete lifting certainly isn’t one of them. You need to make sure that your driveway is restored to its proper glory both quickly and effectively. A professional is the only option if you experience concrete settling problems, especially in an area that’s as obvious as your driveway.
You need someone who knows what they’re doing. That’s why it’s best to turn to a Groundworks concrete repair expert for help with your uneven concrete driveway. When you schedule a free inspection from a Groundworks concrete repair expert, you’ll be much more likely to get an end result that you’re proud of.
Lift Your Driveway Back to Its Initial Place with Help from Groundworks
Lifting your driveway back to its initial position is an important part of being able to manage your uneven concrete problems. You don’t want to just halt the concrete sinking, although that’s certainly an important part of making sure your concrete stays healthy. You also want to ensure your concrete doesn’t maintain any of the problems that it initially had when you first started with uneven concrete.
The good news for you is that you can lift this sunken concrete back to its initial position. You don’t have to halt the sinking and leave it at that. If you’re looking for a good way to lift your sunken concrete, look no further than the Groundworks concrete lifting experts. Anyone who has sunken concrete problems should talk to a Groundworks concrete lifting expert to learn more about their options.
Disclaimer: “Concrete leveling” means the process by which cracked, uneven concrete is stabilized, and in many cases lifted, by means of PolyRenewal™ polyurethane foam. Groundworks does not guarantee that PolyRenewal™ can make your concrete perfectly level.