Looking for recommendations for a product to fill small pits that have developed at the surface of my 20+ year old concrete driveway. I suspect freeze/thaw cycles over the years caused the pits to form and they range from about 1/2” across by 1/4” deep to 3 or 4” across by over an inch deep. Haven’t counted them, but probably dozens scattered around in the 100 foot driveway length. Figured if I don’t patch with something, they’ll just get bigger and deeper as more winter freezing cycles occur.

I’d prefer to use something that isn’t going to have to be redone every couple of years, so if anyone has any experience or recommendations about what to use, I’d appreciate the advice. Location is northern Indiana, so worst-case annual temps range from 100 to the occasional -20 deg F. Thanks.

You have a few options here.
One is to use a rapid setting concrete repair product. I would recommend 1060 by BASF. It is useable at .25” and cures to 8k psi. The downside to this approach is the color is not going to match regular concrete. Be aware 1060 is $22 a bag and needs to be purchased from a masonry supply warehouse not Home Depot.
Your second option is to epoxy the effected areas with a product such as ms3500. This is also a basf product which lends itself well to your application. I just finished up a commercial scale job repairing the same pitting in this manor. Be aware this stuff is expensive as hell but it works.
Some pictures would help to see the extent of the issue you have.
I am always available by email for assistance.

Following as I have the same issue.

Asphalt over top?

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
Asphalt over top?

Oh Gosh NO!!!
Asphalt is cheaper to put down than concrete, but it needs boatloads more maintenance. It should really be fogsealed every year, but nobody does that. After 3-5 years, folks will slurry, which just seals it off and prevents getting the oil in to rejuvenate it. Putting asphalt over concrete would be covering over a smaller maintenance issue with a much bigger ongoing maintenance issue.

Yikes. My asphalt driveway was put in around '75-'76 and to date we've done absolutely nothing to it. Man, another home repair I'm way behind on.

quote:

Originally posted by ffemt44:
You have a few options here.
One is to use a rapid setting concrete repair product. I would recommend 1060 by BASF. It is useable at .25” and cures to 8k psi. The downside to this approach is the color is not going to match regular concrete. Be aware 1060 is $22 a bag and needs to be purchased from a masonry supply warehouse not Home Depot.
Your second option is to epoxy the effected areas with a product such as ms3500. This is also a basf product which lends itself well to your application. I just finished up a commercial scale job repairing the same pitting in this manor. Be aware this stuff is expensive as hell but it works.
Some pictures would help to see the extent of the issue you have.
I am always available by email for assistance.

Thanks for the 1060 recommendation. Now I just need to see if I can find some locally.

I believe these little pits are caused by salt. They always have developed where I actually park my car so I assumed it was the salty snow that comes off it causing that as I never use salt on concrete drives or walks.

Do you salt your drive?

If you can't find it you could use Top N Bond. Comes in a bag and you mix it with water. I use it when I have to and holds up.

I'm curious, can't he shave it down and make it slick like it was brand new? Then seal it or is a 1/4 inch to much to have to grind off the top and still be even?

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
Following as I have the same issue.

Me too, but my largest area of spelling is approx 10" in diameter, and about 1 .5" deep, at the center.

quote:

Originally posted by ubelongoutside:
I believe these little pits are caused by salt. They always have developed where I actually park my car so I assumed it was the salty snow that comes off it causing that as I never use salt on concrete drives or walks.

Do you salt your drive?

While I've been out of the concrete business for 25 years, I can say "salt" by itself does not cause failure in concrete. I'm not up on current fixes to this problem, but I know that what is described isn't caused by salt.

Salt can accelerate oxidizing of reinforcing steel, which will cause failures, but it wouldn't lead to the top surface spalling we're talking about here. Reinforcing steel is placed near the bottom of the concrete, because concrete is strong in compression, and weak in tension, so as a load is applied to the top of a beam or slab, the steel holds the bottom of the slab of beam.

Salt accelerating corrosion would cause cracking that would originate near the bottom of the slab. Here we are talking about surface spalling. This was most likely the result of poor QC when it was placed. Such as poor air content, improper floating/troweling, poor moisture control during the first 7 days, poor mix, etc (and possibly a combination of the above).

The reason it shows up where your car drives and sits, is the increased load on those areas.

I'm interested in this too. The right side of my driveway is going to shit.
New concrete in 2009. looked great until I parked my truck on it after driving it in snow and salt for one winter. Which was only a couple of times. It is getting worse everyday. My other garage in Pa. was built in 1960. I pulled my truck and cars in that garage with all kinds of salt, ice and snow in the wheel wells. It built up over the winter and I tried to clean things up when it warmed up. That garage floor was perfect when I sold that house in 2011. I owned it for twenty years. Is the concrete today that bad?. I kinda think it is.

quote:

Originally posted by DMF:...While I've been out of the concrete business for 25 years...

Here we are talking about surface spalling. This was most likely the result of poor QC when it was placed. Such as poor air content, improper floating/troweling, poor moisture control during the first 7 days, poor mix, etc (and possibly a combination of the above)....

Yep!!!

I built houses back in the early 90s, and I tried my utmost to be on every pour, from foundation, to driveways and walkways as the concrete finishers would almost always try to get the truck drivers to add extra water to the mix during the pour-out to make it easier to work, but it almost always resulted in cracks and spalling issues.

When the mix is correct, and the time from initial mix to pour/finish is within the time-line and the calculated temp/humidity, you will have very few issues with a slab, drive or walks.

But if the truck is late, and the crew is slow and/or more water is added (upsetting the mix), you will have problems, it is only a matter of when.

And second is the keeping the cure as long and slow and "wet" as possible, and not letting some yutz with a tractor doing finish grade, driving over a green driveway or patio. <grrrrrr!!!!!.....>

quote:

Originally posted by kr350psd:
I'm interested in this too. The right side of my driveway is going to shit.
New concrete in 2009. looked great until I parked my truck on it after driving it in snow and salt for one winter. Which was only a couple of times. It is getting worse everyday. My other garage in Pa. was built in 1960. I pulled my truck and cars in that garage with all kinds of salt, ice and snow in the wheel wells. It built up over the winter and I tried to clean things up when it warmed up. That garage floor was perfect when I sold that house in 2011. I owned it for twenty years. Is the concrete today that bad?. I kinda think it is.

Garage v. Driveway, also could be affected by the number of wet freeze thaw cycles. Even if there were frequently freezing temperatures in the garage, it's unlikely the concrete had anywhere near the same amount of water as an exposed driveway.

I've seen concrete around where I work repaired with an epoxy type material that seems to hold up really well.

There are a number of companies who repair underlying cracks/etc. and then apply a top coat over the whole driveway.

Just like painting your house the prep of the existing concrete is the key.

quote:

Originally posted by Nickelsig229:
I'm curious, can't he shave it down and make it slick like it was brand new? Then seal it or is a 1/4 inch to much to have to grind off the top and still be even?

Generally, there is a “cream” at the top of the concrete without aggregate in it. A concrete guy could tell you for sure, but I believe some of the purpose of the troweling is to get that nice smooth, non-rocky surface. If you ground off a quarter inch, you’d be into the aggregate. Sometimes folks go for an exposed aggregate finish, but that is not likely what one wants on their driveway.

Home Depot..I think the brand name is Silka. Comes in a caulk like yellow tube. They have some self leveling caulk, and some thicker stuff. They also have some clay like mixture that you have to melt with a torch that works well with wide cracks. Plus this stuff expands and contracts with the temperature.