# Concrete Resurfacing for Scaled areas



## kdrymer (Mar 11, 2016)

Hello - I have several areas throughout my driveway (which is only 4 years old) that are scaled and the concrete has either chipped away or you can see where it has "popped" on the exposed surface. I have researched this and saw that there are concrete resurfacing products that are cement/sand/polymer based that can be applied to the entire driveway. 

I was curious whether others have any experience with using this and what the results were? Should the areas where the scaling is occuring where the surface is popping up be removed and filled in before applying over the entire surface, or can the product be applied over the driveway without doing anything with the popped areas? The attached pictures really highlight the issue when the concrete is wet, the areas stand out more. Does this product need to be sealed after applying? Thanks...


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## Snoonyb (Mar 11, 2016)

kdrymer said:


> Hello - I have several areas throughout my driveway (which is only 4 years old) that are scaled and the concrete has either chipped away or you can see where it has "popped" on the exposed surface. I have researched this and saw that there are concrete resurfacing products that are cement/sand/polymer based that can be applied to the entire driveway.
> 
> I was curious whether others have any experience with using this and what the results were? Should the areas where the scaling is occuring where the surface is popping up be removed and filled in before applying over the entire surface, or can the product be applied over the driveway without doing anything with the popped areas? The attached pictures really highlight the issue when the concrete is wet, the areas stand out more. Does this product need to be sealed after applying? Thanks...



Generally, and the process will vary from vendor to vendor, as well as product. The incorrectly cured finish will be scaled off to a stable surface and the finish product applied, and they can be from utilitarian to vastly decorative in their aesthetics.


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## kdrymer (Mar 11, 2016)

Thanks. Any ideas the cost to have it resurfaced on a square footage basis? Is sealing required afterwards? It seems to get worse so I would like to try this option as an alternative to replacing the slab.


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## Snoonyb (Mar 11, 2016)

kdrymer said:


> Thanks. Any ideas the cost to have it resurfaced on a square footage basis? Is sealing required afterwards? It seems to get worse so I would like to try this option as an alternative to replacing the slab.



I could only provide a truly southern left coast approximation.

The part of the slab that is separating, is the "cream" which is brought to the surface and finished and is basically cement sand and water. In your case there is a strong possibility that it was too wet, was improperly cured or it may have gotten late in the day.

Epoxy based composites are a structure on to themselves and do not need sealing as part of the application. There are however applied products which aid in maintenance.


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## kdrymer (Mar 14, 2016)

Thanks for the feedback! Do you have any suggestions on whether all the spots where the concrete is beginning to seperate (where the popping is occuring) need to be removed and filled in before applying a resurfacer over the entire slab? I don't want to apply product and then still be able to see all the slightly raised spots showing from underneath.


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## GarageSolutionsLasVegas (Mar 14, 2016)

Hey kdrymer, 

I do typically do garage floors for my business, but we've also done a few driveways. We've seen that the best end result for flooring comes from fully preparing the area. I strongly suggest that you get the cracks and scaling repaired before laying any new flooring. That will give you a really smooth finish.


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## slownsteady (Mar 14, 2016)

Any loose material must be removed before any repair is done. Pry up any chips that aren't solidly bonded. After that, I suppose you could just go ahead and fill the divots, but they will be obvious patches. If you choose to resurface the whole driveway, there are several brands of resurfacing products, and they all have their own properties and instructions. Some may be rated for vehicular traffic, but many will not be. Some are also able to be laid on a little thicker, which may mean you don't have to fill the divots prior to laying down the resurfacer. I imagine a self-leveling product would be hard to use on a driveway because of slope and whether you have raised edges on the side (the self-leveling stuff is liquidy by nature). No real answers here, just some observations. It's probably best to to get a pro to check it out.


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## Snoonyb (Mar 14, 2016)

kdrymer said:


> Thanks for the feedback! Do you have any suggestions on whether all the spots where the concrete is beginning to seperate (where the popping is occuring) need to be removed and filled in before applying a resurfacer over the entire slab? I don't want to apply product and then still be able to see all the slightly raised spots showing from underneath.



Were this my project, and mine to warranty, I would remove all the surface material that appears as in the picture.Then I would feather or patch to transitional surface.

The contractors from whom you obtain bids from, can be "urged" to detail their process.

Most of these products are reasonably thick an extremely viscous, so they have a tendency to fill and be self leveling. Cracks should be filled with an elastomeric.

There are available grinding, scaling machines or bead blasters, that convert the material to a broom-able consistency, and will more than likely part of the contractors inventory.

Here is a resource that polices it's list contractors, themselves, they are a resource for commercial contractors;http://www.thebluebook.com/


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## slownsteady (Mar 14, 2016)

Anybody want to venture a guess as to what's causing these pops?


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## nealtw (Mar 14, 2016)

loose spots


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## Snoonyb (Mar 14, 2016)

slownsteady said:


> Anybody want to venture a guess as to what's causing these pops?



#4, seen it a lot.


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## slownsteady (Mar 14, 2016)

Snoonyb said:


> #4, seen it a lot.



Thanks, I would have thought those factors would result in an overall poor surface as opposed to well-defined pops.


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## Snoonyb (Mar 15, 2016)

slownsteady said:


> Thanks, I would have thought those factors would result in an overall poor surface as opposed to well-defined pops.



I would think it generally does, in varying degrees and the pictures were timely, that's why I'd peel it all, just the lesser of two evils, enforcing warranty repairs, being the other.


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## kdrymer (Mar 17, 2016)

The driveway is about 4 years old, and I actually didn't notice the issue until 2 years ago in the spring time after a sealer had been applied during the Fall before. Not sure if the sealer would have had a negative effect. It was an extremely hard winter with extremely cold temperatures during the winter where the problem originated.

So based on the pictures, once the popped out spots are removed (hopefully pressure washing will do this) the individual spots don't need to be filled in and leveled with the surrounding concrete, the resurfacer should fill in and level out these divets? I would do this myself but the products I have seen at the local home center seem sub-par and I'm hoping a contractor will have something more heavy duty in their arsenal. It will be interesting to see how familiar contractors are with this type of job. Thanks for all the feedback!


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## Snoonyb (Mar 17, 2016)

kdrymer said:


> The driveway is about 4 years old, and I actually didn't notice the issue until 2 years ago in the spring time after a sealer had been applied during the Fall before. Not sure if the sealer would have had a negative effect. It was an extremely hard winter with extremely cold temperatures during the winter where the problem originated.
> 
> So based on the pictures, once the popped out spots are removed (hopefully pressure washing will do this) the individual spots don't need to be filled in and leveled with the surrounding concrete, the resurfacer should fill in and level out these divets? I would do this myself but the products I have seen at the local home center seem sub-par and I'm hoping a contractor will have something more heavy duty in their arsenal. It will be interesting to see how familiar contractors are with this type of job. Thanks for all the feedback!



You should be able to find local contractors and because it is their warranty, allow them to discuss the method they are comfortable with, too warranty.

Here is a link where you can also find resources; http://www.thebluebook.com/

Most of the listings work primarily in the commercial industry.

The listing service self polices,IE., unlike the pay-for-play services, if you have an unresolved complaint, you are out.


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## stadry (Mar 28, 2016)

posting a location ( other than a driveway ) would've help w/more accurate replies


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## kdrymer (Mar 28, 2016)

Upstate New York


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## slownsteady (Mar 28, 2016)

Westchester is a long way from Buffalo.....just sayin'


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## stadry (Mar 29, 2016)

i'm guessin' either chert aggregate OR no air in the conc,,,


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