How To Repair A Pitted Concrete Driveway

Concrete driveway pitting is a frustrating issue for many homeowners. Some driveways begin to pit afterward a few years, while some bear witness signs of pitting afterward only a few months. Pitting, likewise known equally spalling, is when small holes, or "pits," show upward on a driveway's surface and make it look uneven and worn.

4 Mutual Causes of Driveway Pitting

• Climate exposure. In common cold and harsh climates, a driveway's exposure to snowfall, pelting and/or sleet during the winter and spring months can spell doom for the acme layer of the concrete.  If, for case, snow melts on the pinnacle of the driveway after a blizzard, the concrete volition blot the liquid that results, and weaken over time because of that captivated water freezing and thawing over and over again. This freeze-thaw cycle causes pocket-size pits to form on the driveway's surface.
• Bad concrete mixing. Should your concrete mix be incorrect for your location and climate, it may come back to haunt your driveway later on in the form of spalling. In order to make sure yous mix the correct type and proportions of concrete, exist certain to consult local building codes for your metropolis, town or geographical area.
• Incorrect concrete curing. The curing process is ane of the final steps in proper physical installation -- and as well i of the most important. Not curing properly (or skipping this footstep altogether) sets your driveway up for spalling problems later on -- as well as serious cracking, crumbling or other structural bug.
• Aging. Concrete is a strong building material if used properly, merely that doesn't mean that information technology isn't as well susceptible to crumbling. Heavy employ of a driveway, combined with the concrete'south aging, can crusade damage such equally serious pitting. In this instance, installing a new driveway may be your only option.

Driveway Pitting DIY Repair

Concrete pitting repair is adequately elementary to fix yourself. Do it right to make sure that your new concrete lasts as long as possible and remains free of future pitting or spalling issues. Here is a brief how-to.

Supplies

Epoxy

Caulking gun (for smaller pits)

Small-scale trowel

Stiff broom or brush

Hose

Concrete mix

Chisel and hammer (for larger pits)

Plastic sheeting (for larger pits)

Physical sealant

How-to

1. Clean the pits well to rid them of dirt, debris and loose bits of physical. Yous can clean small pits with a stiff brush; for larger pits, a sturdy broom will do fine.
2. Spray the physical pits with a hose to flush out any remaining bits of waste.
3. If yous are dealing with a series of minor pits, fill the pits using a caulking gun loaded with premixed epoxy, formulated specifically for concrete. Level off any epoxy that has risen from the holes and so that it'due south affluent with the concrete surface. Leave to set for at to the lowest degree 24 hours before applying a concrete sealant to protect the new concrete from wear and tear.
4. For larger pits, start past chiseling out a little physical so that the bottoms of the holes are a bit wider than the tops. (This volition assistance your repair to "stick" better.) Clean with a force per unit area washer. Use a physical resurfacing compound, mixing modest batches, and then you won't accept to throw away whatsoever unused or dried-out concrete. Pour the mixture into the holes and level off using your trowel.
   
5. Protect your repair from rain and foot traffic for at least 6 hours. Don't allow any vehicles on the driveway for a minimum of 24 hours.

For truly professional driveway pitting repair, hire a reliable concrete contractor.

Source: https://www.networx.com/article/what-can-be-done-about-driveway-pitting

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