Concrete driveway maintenance/light repair

[paddlenbike]

My driveway has a fairly small, localized area where the surface is beginning to erode.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_Hp8E9rdd9MU/TaOpbhJMhqI/AAAAAAAAFkQ/YztKo-WrGiA/s800/driveway.jpg
Close-up:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_Hp8E9rdd9MU/TaOqpKoBTQI/AAAAAAAAFkg/gp0KtnJIJdQ/s800/driveway2.jpg

I noticed after taking the pics that sand and aggregate, most likely from these holes, is littered across the driveway. Here is a list of thirteen products I find at my local Ace Hardware, (http://www.acehardware.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=concrete%20repair&origkw=concrete%20repair&sr=1) ranging from Quikrete in a caulk tube to 10# bags of mortar mix. What should I use to keep the damage from getting any worse?

And while I'm at it, is there a product I can use to reseal the expansion gaps between slabs of concrete in the driveway? There used to be a caulk-like substance there but much of it is gone as well.

Thanks!

[slosurfer]

Do you have power lines or such that run across your driveway?

[paddlenbike]

Under it? Likely. There are underground utilities in the neighborhood and the underground boxes for cable, electric, water and sewer are only a few feet past the grass you see in the top pic. Why do you ask?

[slosurfer]

I actually meant over it. I've seen damage like that just from water dripping off power lines, eaves, etc...

[paddlenbike]

None of the above overhead. My first thought was "I wish Chris lived closer; I would pay him to repair my driveway and tile my bathroom." We could go wheeling more often too. :)

[slosurfer]

I'll call a concrete contractor friend of mine tomorrow and ask him what to use. With the right product, it should be easy for you to fix without a ton of special tools.

[Obi..]

Fly zone for the airport? Buddy gets that when they (Jets and C1's practicing touch and go's) dump off just North of Moffett and it's from the solid additive they use, stuff looks like salt crystals and eats away paint and cement like no tomorrow. It's how come I now have "salt burns" on my Runner's roof. :shake: *Luckily no "blue ice..yet.* Toxic Bird poop? Like, as-in birds eating out of salt laden estuary's have salt infused poo?? The flexible sealant stuff is available at pool supply and maintenance stores. Common name I remember I think is durathane, used it to seal our loose window panes and parts of the roof in Mexico last month. Then there's the two part mix stuff, deck-o-seal that lasts around 4-5 years depending on climate, etc.

Don't try using any epoxy, this was a waste of time and looks bad after just 4 months..I think it was from the algae or lichen we get here. If I power wash it every 3 months it slows it down. :shake:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_PFYN1rUn3pQ/TaO88laiQGI/AAAAAAAAA4E/RkAS6xVAiFU/s800/IMG_0006.JPG

[Robinhood4x4]

My first thought was "I wish Chris lived closer; I would pay him to repair my driveway and tile my bathroom."


Or he could tile your driveway!

[Obi..]

^Seen that in Chapala, looks sooo sweet! *How do you not break them though?

[fenrisx]

Can he tile my 4Runner? I think my 4Runner would look good in a nice porcelain tile.

[Obi..]

Can he tile my 4Runner? I think my 4Runner would look good in a nice porcelain tile.


Purple monkey dishwasher? Things went south quick.. :laugh:

[paddlenbike]

A tile driveway would be sweet, but probably out of my price range. And I enforce a strict no fly zone over my house, so probably not that either, although it is interesting to think about all of the toxic stuff that does come from aircraft.

The driveway is 13 years old and pretty clean, so it's either a material failure or a previous owner's car leaked fuel, brake fluid, or something else that ate away part of the driveway.

Thanks for any advise you think of...

[Crinale]

one of my grandparents' neighbors has a tile driveway.. also has a blue tile roof :thumbup:

[4x4mike]

If it's all contained in a small area I imagine someone spilled something on the concrete and it ate through. Kind of hard to imagine though, especially if there aren't any stains. Is it an area where water can pool at all? If so something like fertilizer, gas, etc might have gotten to it.

If the area were bigger I'd say the driveway wasn't installed correctly. Concrete is water, sand and gravel (for the most part). There are a ton of different additives that are put in the mix for different reasons and that may have something to do with it. If the mix was fine the install and finish work may be the culprit. Your driveway is smooth and the finish is consistent, for the most part. The gravel portion of the mix is supposed to settle or be pushed down during the installation. This is done with troweling and brushing and if the mix is correct it will settle andyou'll be left with a smooth surface. If it wasn't finished correctly the gravel will be at or just below the surface. As the concrete gets wet water soaks into the surface and around the gravel. In a freeze-thaw process this could "pop" (or weaken the surface) the gravel out and cause your problem. Excess water in the surface could also cause low level pot holes just like in a surface street or the water just gets to the gravel and works itself out. Look at your neighbors driveways and see if they have the same thing. If so it's an installation or mix thing and not a spilled acid kind of thing. I'd fix your junk and then look into some kind of sealer.
If the damage is where we dropped the giant jar of garlic during your move, there is your answer. If that is the case we'll fix it. You supply the beer, we'll supply the fire and JB weld.