For most customers in the state of Oklahoma, cracked driveways and sidewalks are a way of life.  Many of these problems are caused by three overlooked items.  Many builders and developers install a bed of sand on top of the ground prior to pouring the concrete.  This allows the soils under your concrete to expand and contract with the changing temperatures. This expansion and contraction

1)Expansion of the street:

In our hot summers and cold winters the street expands and contracts.  This causes the adjacent slabs push against one another.  This expansion allows debris and water to infiltrate between the joints and wedge the slabs as they expand.  This is commonly known as 'Street Creep'.  The slabs begin to creep toward the garage because of the ongoing pressure that grows with each padding year.  This can easily be prevented by installing a proper expansion joint at the driveway approach.  This is a 4 inch wide expansion joint that helps take the brunt of the expanding street. This joint costs penny's compared to the expense of removing and replacing.  This is a picture of an expansion joint installed in Enid, OK.

2)Poor Sub-Slab Aggregate

Many builders and developers install a bed of sand on top of the ground prior to pouring the concrete.  This allows the soils under your concrete to expand and contract with the changing temperatures. This expansion and contraction cause the sand installed beneath the slab will begin to wash out and settle.  Your slab is now floating over an open space and eventually, the weight of the concrete and vehicles causes a collapse.  If you experience sand build up at the bottom of the driveway you may be experiencing slab wash out.  This can be prevented by injecting POLY Level foam under the slab.  This costs very little because the void is very thin and requires very little material.  This holds the slab in place and makes sure the soil does not continue to expand and contract as wildly. This is a picture of a slab in southeast Oklahoma City.

3)Open or Un-caulked Control Joints

Many folks see lines in their driveways and sidewalks never considering the water that travels into these spaces can cause a separation of the concrete panels and damage during winter months. This freeze and thaw of water coming through the slabs cause a slow deterioration of the surface as well as washing out the immediate soil beneath the slab.  This is important because many of these problems start out isolated but then trace all of the open joints around your pool, sidewalk or driveway. The best way to prevent this is by installing a long lasting joint sealer infused with sand as a protectant.  This procedure is commonly done using Nexus Pro joint sealer and can help keep water from beneath the joints and double the life of your concrete driveway!

For more information on your concrete surfaces and ways to help make sure your largest investment lasts call the foundation repair professionals at Vesta Foundation Solutions. They are family owned and operated business that uses no subcontractors. They provide foundation piering, concrete leveling and crawl space services throughout Oklahoma.  They provide services as far as Enid, Norman, Tulsa and Oklahoma City.