Last week we shared with you the first 5 of the 10 major steps of installing a new concrete driveway at your Roswell, GA home. This week, we will finish up the process with the last 5 steps of the concrete installation process.
The last step that we covered was ordering concrete for the project. Now that it is ordered and ready to be poured, it’s time to get it on the ground.
Step 6 – Pour and Level the Concrete
The concrete is now ready to be poured into the forms. The process will start in the section of the driveway closest to your home and move outward towards the street. As each section is poured it is leveled to the appropriate grade.
Step 7 – Finishing the Concrete
Now that the concrete is on the ground and in the forms, it will begin to set very quickly. After it has been leveled and floated, the surface will receive a broom finish. The periphery will be troweled smooth and any trowel joints will be picture framed.
Step 8 – Curing
While concrete sets and gets hard rather quickly, it takes about a month for concrete to cure completely. As soon as the concrete is hard, it is fine to utilize the new concrete for foot traffic. We will cut the control joints, remove the forms, and perform any related site repairs. Remember to watch out for pets that first 24 hours as we cant get those doggy foot prints out of the concrete!
Step 9 – Hurry Up And Wait
It looks finished but you have to wait to drive on the new concrete. 72 hours or more is our recommendation. If your new driveway is done on Monday, then you can drive on it Thursday evening. It is never a bad idea to give it an extra day or two if it is not too inconvenient to do so.
Step 10 – Enjoy It!
What we know about concrete nowadays is so far superior to what we knew in the past. Whereas a driveway installed 20 to 30 years ago oftentimes has cracked all over, settled some and looks pretty bad; a newly replaced driveway can still look great in 30 years. We place control joints and most importantly get the soil compacted correctly in the area of the driveway prior to pouring the concrete. To make your new driveway last 50+ years, all you have to do is make sure that no trees grow too close to the driveway – their roots could cause cracks – and keep it clean.
The key to a great, long lasting driveway is starting with the right design. Oftentimes, we replace a lot of driveways exactly as they were to begin with, but we are widening them, adding a turnaround, making them more narrow, or otherwise improving the layout of the driveway to meet the needs of our customers and their families. Now the only thing you have left to do, is refer us to your neighbors and friends!