Concrete Contractors Harrisburg NC

Most new driveway cracks come from three things. The first is a weak base. Builders often pour over soil that was packed by heavy trucks and then soaked, and that soil settles later. The second is thin concrete, sometimes only three and a half inches. The third is missing or poorly spaced joints, so the slab chooses its own cracks. Hairline cracks are common and mostly cosmetic. A crack wide enough to catch a fingernail, or one where one side sits higher than the other, can signal a base problem. A sealer or a flexible filler can help a hairline crack. A sunken or tilted section may need to be lifted or replaced. We look at the slab, probe the base, and tell you what the problem is. If the builder gave a warranty, check the dates before you pay for a repair, because some warranties cover cracks for a year or two. We are glad to write a short note describing what we found.

It depends on who owns the sidewalk. Some sidewalks sit on your lot, and some sit in a public right of way that belongs to the town or the state. If a section along the street is cracked or lifted, call the town first. Replacing a public sidewalk may need a permit, and the town may have its own repair program. Walks on your own property, like the path from the driveway to the front door, are yours to fix. We can remove a tilted section and pour a new one with the right slope and joints. Tree roots are a common cause of lifting. We look at the roots and plan a route that avoids damaging the tree. We also match the width and finish of the nearby sections so the walk looks even. If you are not sure who owns the walk, send us a photo and the address, and we will help you find out which office to call before any work starts.

Flaking, also called scaling, happens when the top layer of the slab breaks loose in thin pieces. The usual causes are too much water in the mix, finishing the surface while bleed water is still rising, and deicing salt on young concrete. Freeze thaw cycles make it worse, because water in the pores expands as it freezes. Harrisburg does not have many hard freezes, but a few each winter are enough to damage a weak surface. Neighbors in Mount Pleasant see the same thing, so keep salt off new concrete for the first winter. Pressure washing too hard can strip the top, too. We prevent scaling by using a proper mix, waiting for the bleed water to leave before we trowel, and curing the slab slowly. For an older slab that is already flaking, a sealer may slow the damage, and a thin overlay can renew the surface. A badly scaled slab may need replacing.