DIY Instructions for Resurfacing a Concrete Driveway
Concrete driveways weather and crack. While sometimes the only solution is to replace the entire slab, often the driveway is repairable with a simple resurfacing. There are several materials a homeowner or contractor can use to resurface a concrete driveway, but the preparation of a damaged driveway -- regardless of the resurfacing technique -- is essentially always the same. Once the driveway is clean of debris and loose concrete, cracks and potholes are filled in preparation for the resurfacing. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Screwdriver
- Shovel
- Bristle broom with 3-foot head
- Pressure washer
- Epoxy mortar
- Epoxy resin and hardener
- 5-gallon bucket
- Electric plaster mixer
- Trowel
- Quick-cure concrete mix
- Wheel barrel
Instructions
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Clean any cracks in the driveway greater than 1 inch wide with a screwdriver. Dig the screwdriver into the cracks and loosen any dirt or debris. Do not worry about digging it out. Loosen the material at least to the depth of the concrete pad. Dig the dirt out of any potholes that exist in the driveway. Again, dig to the depth of the concrete pad. Remove any broken pieces of concrete by hand or with a shovel.
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Sweep the driveway clean of any debris. Spray the driveway with the power washer. Spray into the cracks and wash away any loose material. Spray the bottoms of potholes to remove any loose debris. Spray the entire pad clean of any dust, dirt, soil or debris. Allow the driveway to dry.
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3
Mix the epoxy resin and hardener together with a plaster mixer. Follow the mix ratios recommended by the manufacturer. Mix in the suggested ratio of epoxy mortar. Pour the mix into any potholes -- to the top of the concrete -- and trowel the mortar flat. Fill any cracks with mortar -- again, to the top of the concrete -- and trowel it level. Allow the mortar to cure for 24 hours.
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Mix the quick-cure cement with water in the wheel barrel with a shovel. Use the manufacturer's specifications for the water-to-cement ratio. Turn the mixture with the shovel until the cement is saturated completely and evenly with water. Only mix one bag at a time. Make broad sweeps across the concrete mix -- 3 to 5 feet long -- with the trowel The layer of resurfacing concrete should be between 1/32 and 1/8 inch thick atop the original concrete pad.
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Trowel the mix onto the cement pad of the driveway. If the driveway is jointed (joints are grooves in the concrete pad that run both parallel and perpendicular to the length of the driveway, crossing one another) only resurface one square at a time. Drop a pile of mix into a square and towel it back and forth, spreading it over the square. If it is not a jointed driveway, only apply concrete to a 10-by-10-foot area at a time -- 100 square feet. Resurfacing larger areas allows the concrete to cure before you texture it.
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Sweep the concrete with the 4-foot brush after you trowel each square; lightly drag the bristles across the fresh concrete. This process gives the surface of the refinishing concrete texture. Resurface the next square. Allow the resurfacing concrete to dry for 24 hours before driving or walking on it.
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References
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