What's The Lifespan Of A Driveway?

Like all things in life, your driveway can only last so long. The average age of a driveway before it needs to be replaced is 25-30 years, but if taken care of properly can last up to 50 years. The lifespan can be prolonged if certain measures were made. If you regularly pressure wash your driveway, used a professional installer that is trusted, ensure the foundation for the driveway was taken seriously, and avoid excessive weight being put on your driveway, you'll get more life out of your driveway.

Some signs your driveway may need to be replaced are:

• Excessive cracking
• Potholes are forming
• Splits of chunks of the main section

Some of the signs can be repaired but after a certain point, the driveway will need to be replaced by a concrete contractor. Cracks from vehicles compressing the concrete or plant roots slowly forming cracks can be filled in. The new patches can be seen due to the sun bleaching the older portions and offsetting the original color. This is a good temporary fix but will not last forever and a replacement will need to be done eventually. For potholes, a new batch of concrete can be poured to fill in the gaps, but again the colors will not match. Just like the potholes, the splitting-off chunks of the main slab can be removed and new ones poured, but for this, we do suggest that you replace the driveway at this point.

Signs Of An Aged Driveway

There are three signs of your driveway getting to the end of its lifespan. Once the signs get too severe, it's a good time to redo your driveway:

1. The driveway is forming a large quantity of cracking. These cracks can allow plants to grow in. Over time, the roots can cause more destruction. For the rare times when we do have cold snaps and freezing temperatures, the water inside the cracks will freeze expanding and forming larger or more cracks.
2. A significant amount of potholes and chunks of your drive have formed across it. Once these have formed they have an attendance to allow either more to form or expand. With your heavy vehicles driving over these problem areas it will only increase these problems.
3. If left uncleaned, the build-up on your driveway of stains and algae can leave lasting aftermath. Whether it is stains that just won't go away or small divots that are now everlasting and unkept, this can and will shorten the lifespan of your driveway.

Perks Of A Concrete Driveway

A concrete driveway installation tends to last longer than other forms of driveways such as asphalt or rubble. The concrete is able to handle heat, dirt, and weight more successfully. This allows you to be able to get more from your investment in a driveway. With rubble or pebble driveways, they tend to erode easily with heavy rains and you don't really have any way to prevent this. With asphalt, it cannot handle the high temperatures as well as it tends to warp and deform with the high heat and sun exposure.

With concrete, you do not have any of these problems. You can also use stamps to make it look more unique and allow it to stand out more. It also allows for more of a clean and finished look while being able to be created in more unique shapes.