10 Beautiful Concrete Patio Ideas to Upgrade Your Backyard
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Question: How will a concrete driveway hold up in the Winter?
A: Each residential driveway project is designed to withstand Minnesota’s extreme weather conditions. Exterior surfaces, such as driveways and sidewalks, are poured with air entrained concrete. This intentional creation of tiny air bubbles allows for the expansion and contraction that comes with the freeze – thaw cycles prevalent in Minnesota throughout the fall, winter and spring seasons.
Question: Why should I choose concrete versus asphalt?
A: A driveway is a major investment in your home. Maximize your investment with a product that will last 3 times longer. During those years, you will be avoiding resurfacing and replacement of asphalt on a regular basis. While you can reseal a concrete driveway, it is not necessary as often as seal coating is required on asphalt.
Question: Will I need to reseal my driveway?
A: Sealers for concrete are mostly used during the curing process, which generally is complete after 28 days. Although there are products that you can apply to your driveway after it is fully cured, it is not necessary for the life of your concrete.
Question: Should rebar be installed with my driveway?
A: While adding reinforcement with rebar may sound like a good idea, it can create a void in the concrete. This causes a weakened plane, which can result in cracking in areas outside of control joints. In cases where rebar is necessary, the thickness of the concrete should be greater than 4 inches thick to give proper coverage on the rebar. Rebar can be beneficial in soils with poor draining qualities, such as clay, which cause excessive frost heaving.
Question: My asphalt apron is relatively new. Why is it failing?
A: Your apron is only as strong as the subgrade it is placed on. Without proper grade compaction, the soil settles and the asphalt follows. This can cause water and salt to get into your foundation below the garage doors, which causes damage to your foundation.
Question: Why does concrete crack?
A: Concrete is placed while it is in its liquid form. Concrete typically takes 28 days to cure. During this time the concrete dries and the water evaporates, causing the material to shrink. One thing is for certain, concrete will crack. To mitigate this, every effort is made to strategically place control joints to encourage cracking in the joints and avoid surface cracking.
Question: What happens to my old driveway?
A: After demolition of your old concrete or asphalt driveway, we haul it off for recycling. It gets crushed and used again as road base for new highways and driveways.
