How to repair and renew concrete driveway?

[SK]

Hello, 

Hoping to get some expert advice & steps on how best to proceed further on our DRIVEWAYS Mini Project, using something that's much more sustainable & durable. That is non slippery, can withstand hot summer sun, vehicle pressure & winter rain. (than what we had explored, but not so suitable for uncovered driveways, that also serve as carport sometimes.) 

A (Surface) & C (Edge connected to Brick Tiles) had cracks.

Gripset Betta Concrete Crack Filler and  Selleys Spark Filla Heavy Duty were attempted. But the results (especially on A) hasn't been too satisfactory.

Here's a closed up on A after only 3 weeks under the hot Sun, with only some light rains in between. Weather were dried the few days before & after double application. perhaps due to incorrect application/movement of vehicle before they were fully cured, cracks formed not long after.

On C (Edge of joint to Brick wall/Tiles where kids can walk/jumping on top), new cracks appear too in less than 4 weeks. Could be resulted from combination of high UV/ vehicle movement, is our guess, or wrong choice/method of application.

B (Expansion joints)were crowded with weeds & soils. After they were removed, the expansion/contraction joints (B) gaps were wide, ranging between 5mm to 20mm wide, and up to 5mm to 20mm deep. Parfix Triple expanding foam filler were applied once to try fill up the joints. The results looked smooth & joints completely filled, before the overflow foam were cut.

Here's a closed up of the expansion joints (B) foam filling after the excess/overflow foams were cut, to level up with the concrete surface.

As is, the joints (just like the entire driveway, before garage entrance) look ugly, and there're tiny holes along the joint lines, allowing water & sands to going under. And along those sections where not enough depth of soils were removed,some of the foams pieces had dried up & got pushed off by soils underneath, with pressure from vehicle. 

Clearly, we haven't yet met a good adviser on the right choice of materials &/ correct application steps, to accomplish what we hope achieve, and have the entire driveway & joints line properly sealed & renewed.

Really hope we can find soon some real experts, and/or people with previous experience handling the same. 

Someone has suggested looking at using either :-

1) Earls MultFill (Walnut Color) to fill up all remaining cracks & holes, and let the color tone up with existing color (to make the carport looks less multi-colors), and watch if cracks/hole appear again, before attempting to clean up/paint over. Is this product suitable to prevent crack ? What paint may go best with this ?

2)  Combination of Crommelin Enhanced Satin & Tint to seal up remaining surface cracks & holes (2-3mm) on expansion lines. (After  pressure washing). Is this suitable as we can't see any warranty period stated on product ?

3) Crommelin Maximum Slip Resistant  Safety Floor Coating, with waterproofing & UV protect properties, to seal up remaining surface cracks & holes on expansion lines. Is this viable ? 

4) Crommelin Exterior Grade waterproof with UV stable properties (Grey) on all Expansion Joints surface with holes/gaps unfilled. Is this viable ? Much more cost effective & easier to apply & clean up than using caulking gun ? 

5) Explore application of a All In One (Non-Slip, UV Protect, High Pressure tolerance, AntiCracks, waterproofing) coating, made specific for Driveways (that Bunnings already sell/can help source). Does something like this exist yet ? 

Looking forward hearing your expert advice and experience you may previously had previously on your driveway renewal. 

Thank You. 

[ansell181]

Hi Eric, with the products you mentioned above, are they all able to be sanded and painted over with the suggested driveway paint. I can't see this on any product information brochures.

Sean

[JacobZ]

Hi @ansell181,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

Ideally, concrete products should not be sanded due to the risk of airborne silica dust. There shouldn't be a need for sanding a new concrete product, rather they should be smoothed upon application. Sanding concrete is usually only done when you are looking to achieve a polished finish. If this is the case, I would suggest contacting a company that does this professionally as they will have the equipment and safety procedures in place to ensure it is done in a safe manner.

If the gaps you are filling are fairly large, as opposed to hairline cracks, it would be worth contacting the manufacturer of the product and the paint you are using to confirm compatibility. I'd be happy to assist with this if required.

When used in small quantities for filling cracks, there should be no issues painting over any of the products that @EricL has mentioned. 

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob