As you’d expect over time your driveway starts to show signs of wear and tear, it’s just the reality of driveways. Often you’ll notice a little cracking, maybe chips and some discolouration in the appearance of your driveway. All of these factors can cause the overall appearance of your property to deteriorate. And your driveway, being the centrepiece of your home, you want it to look it’s best.
One thing we pride ourselves on is the skills we have developed of the years with our concreting. And driveways are at the top of our list. We design and install high-quality Canberra concrete driveways. Over the years we have replaced and built a number of Canberra driveways that have unfortunately had their days. Because of the years, we have had in this field we get to see the signs. So today I’ll give you 5 of the most common causes of damage to driveways. And although you might not be able to avoid them, at least you can be aware of them.
Excessively Heavy Loads
If done right and that’s what we are all about. A well-designed driveway can easily support a lot of weight over time. Having said that. Large and heavy trucks can have an effect on your driveway by putting a lot of pressure on the surface. Delivery trucks would be a good example of this. Although this I’m sure is not a regular occurrence unless you own large trucks. It’s a good thing to be mindful of driving heavy trucks onto your driveway. As overtime cracks will start to form from the ongoing pressure of the heavy load.
Weather Conditions
Even though I’ve added this, it’s pretty much impossible to avoid, given that most of the time your driveway is exposed to some sort of weather. An example of this would be a pool of water settles on your driveway and over time the water will seep into the surface causing damage to the underlying areas. On the other hand, the sun can over time cause issues with some of the components is older driveways that can lead to small cracks appearing on the surface.
One thing you can do to help prolong the life of your driveway is to make sure when you get your driveway done, finish the process with a good sealer. It’s something we totally recommend on all our concrete driveways. It’s like most things, build a quality product and it will last longer than just doing an average job.
Poor Construction
This leads us to poor construction. This would have to be one of the most common causes of deterioration in any concrete jobs. Always and I mean always make sure your Canberra concreter knows what he or she is doing. If the initial construction of your concrete driveway or any concrete for that matter is of poor quality or substandard workmanship, unfortunately, it will come back to get you down the track. Most of the time this is where most of your issues will come from in the years to come.
At Idig concreting and landscaping, we only use the highest quality of materials along with the highest standard possible. We rely on our business lasting for years and the best way to do that is to give the client the highest possible quality of work and finished product, whether that’s a small concrete path or a large commercial concrete slab, the standard is the same.
Shifting of Earth and Soil
This can be a tough one as you really have no control over what nature can do. You can structure the concrete in a way that you can lower the prevention of movement, but ultimately the earth will have it say.
The earth is constantly moving and shifting. On a day to day basis, these movements are unnoticeable, but over time they can cause the soil beneath your driveway to shift slightly, which can lead to unevenness and cracks in your driveway.
Tree Root Growth
Whenever you’re looking to lay concrete, it’s a good idea to check out what types of trees are in the area. As over time, the roots of the trees can actually cause a lot of damage by working their way beneath the driveway and over the years will begin to get bigger and start to have an impact on the concrete. We are all for trees, just make sure they won’t cause damage in the long run.
If you do get in contact with us for your new concrete driveway we can definability have a look at the types of trees you have around the area, and we can advise you on whether they may have an impact in the future.
If you’re looking for professional concreting Canberra team. Get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to assist with your newt concreting project.