From The Detroit News | By Ken Calverley and Chuck Breidenstein

DETROIT, August 15, 2024 ~ The Guys get a lot of questions this time of year regarding exterior concrete.

Concrete is one of the largest products by volume used by the construction industry in the world.

Reasonable care in placement and maintenance for driveways, sidewalks, porches and patios can result in decades of service.

Q. I am scheduling a new driveway for late September. Is this a good time of year to pour concrete?

A. To begin, we don’t pour concrete, we place it. If the product coming out of that Redi-Mix truck is wet and soupy, you likely are not getting what you paid for, and the cured product will not perform well over time.

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August 10, 2024 ~ Chuck “The Inside Guy” Breidenstein and Ken “The Outside Guy” Calverly offer the knowledge and resources you need to make the home of your dreams a reality.

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Fall is a great time to place exterior concrete as it cures much better in cooler temperatures and moist conditions.

Concrete cannot be placed on frozen ground and must be protected from freezing for a minimum of 72 hours.

A standard rule of thumb is that concrete will achieve approximately 90% of its ultimate compressive strength within 28 days, but that assumes proper curing conditions and fall is typically excellent.

Q. My driveway is barely a year old, and the surface is pitting and flaking even though we keep salt off of it.

Assuming you have not spread a lot of salts or other contaminants on the concrete, such issues might be traced to placement when the mix may have had too much water added to it or the placement was overworked and/or troweled too early.

Troweling brings a cement paste to the top to seal the placement, but too much too early can create segregation of the mixture.

Adding water to the top of a rapidly curing placement can also contribute to flaking and spalling of the surface.

Core samples can be taken and analyzed to determine the issues that led to early surface failure.

Q. Why are you always saying that salt tears up concrete roads and driveways?

A. Concrete has a natural affinity for water and moisture. Salt actually allows more water to penetrate deeper into the concrete. When that water freezes and expands, it exerts tremendous pressure on the concrete and can crack and break it.

Note that Michigan highways begin to fail at the cut joints where salty water can easily penetrate.

Q. We are getting a new driveway and sidewalk installed. The contractor wants to charge me extra to put sand underneath it. Should I allow him to do it?

A. Concrete needs a good, compacted and readily drainable base. Sand can function well in this capacity as long as it can never be washed out from under the placement.

Where this is a possibility, we suggest something like crushed and compacted concrete or limestone.

It’s very important that the base is good and stable, and that the placement is such that surface water will run off and away from the concrete.

Q. Our exterior concrete is about 10 years old but is in great condition. Is there anything we can do preserve and protect it?

A. Yes. There are many inexpensive water-based and breathable sealers that can be easily spread or sprayed onto clean concrete to preserve and protect it.

One benefit of this application is that surface water will not penetrate while moisture from below can wick up and through the drive, patio or sidewalk and dissipate into the air.

Q. The black material in the joints of our driveway has disintegrated and now they are just full of dirt and weeds. Should we be concerned?

A. Those joints are intended to isolate one slab from the other to minimize cracking, but the joints need to repel water and prevent the base from being washed out.

After cleaning, the installation of a foam backer rod topped with a product like Sika-Flex caulk will preserve, protect, and beautify the slab.

Remember the four “P” s of concrete; proportioned, produced, placed and protected.

Properly done, concrete can last hundreds of years or more.

Just be certain to deal with true professionals like those you can find every day at InsideOutsideGuys.com.

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For more advice, listen to “The Inside Outside Guys” every Saturday and Sunday on 760 WJR from 10 a.m. to noon or contact them at InsideOutsideGuys.com.