Two Things That Can Shorten the Lifespan of a Concrete Driveway
Posted on: 30 November 2017
Concrete driveways are generally quite durable. However, there are a number of things which can shorten their lifespan. Read on to find out what these things are.
Failing to remove weeds
Concrete driveways can sometimes develop tiny holes or hairline cracks; this type of minor damage is usually the result of extreme temperature fluctuations and heavy vehicles being parked on the driveway.
Weeds that have sprouted in the soil underneath a driveway will often start to grow up through these gaps in the concrete. In addition to having a negative effect on the appearance of the driveway, these weeds can also place pressure on these gaps in the concrete as they grow and in doing so, can lead to these (initially small) holes and cracks expanding to the point where they impact both the look and the functionality of the driveway.
As such, it is important to inspect your driveway for weeds on a regular basis and to pull them up before they start to grow too large. When doing this, make sure to pull the weed up by the root, rather than simply cutting it off by the stem; if you leave the root intact, it will grow back within a matter of days.
After removing a weed, spritz some weedkiller into the gap from which you pulled it up; this should reduce the chances of another weed growing in its place.
Failing to have large cracks repaired promptly during the winter months
Concrete driveways are particularly susceptible to damage during the winter months. If your driveway develops a small crack during this time of the year and you do not have paving repairs done immediately, you could end up significantly reducing the lifespan of your driveway.
The reason for this is as follows; if rainwater seeps into a small crack in the paving and this water then freezes over (as is likely to happen during the chilly winter months) the expansion of the water as it turns to ice will place pressure on the concrete and in doing so, will make the crack larger.
If this happens repeatedly over the course of several weeks, the crack could expand by several inches. This type of damage could be a lot more complicated, costly and time-consuming to have repaired than a crack which is just a few millimetres wide.
Given this, it is far more cost-effective and simple to contact a paving repair specialist to repair the crack whilst it is still small.
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