Have you just moved into your new home? Or are you in the middle of a remodel or renovation? Well, you might not have thought about this, but if you want your house to look nice, you need to spend a few minutes thinking about how to fix up the driveway outside.
Many homeowners worry about the inside of their homes, but it’s the outside of your house that will make the first impression. Most people pay attention to their driveway at the end of a project to improve their home. At this point, there isn’t enough money left, so they have to make a choice.
If you have to choose between pavers and concrete for your driveway, pavers are the clear winner. Even though concrete driveways are very common, they are also very likely to get cracks over time. When you remodel your house, you need to fix these cracks and make the necessary changes. After all, your driveway is the first thing people will see when they come to your house. Since first impressions are the most important, this article has some helpful tips you can use to improve your driveway.
Know How Cement Paving Stones Are Right Now
If your driveway has cracks, you should first do everything you can to figure out why they are there and then fix them.
Some of the most common reasons for paver cracks to show up are:
- If you just bought a used home, you have no way of knowing what the bottom of the driveway looks like. When installing the base of your driveway, it’s not uncommon for hardscape contractors to cut corners on the quality of the work. In most cases, a base made of granite rocks is the best choice.
- If the driveway is too close to the house or if trees are near it, the upward pressure could cause damage. The first sign of these problems is cracks on the surface of your driveway.
- There are times when heavy moving vehicles cause driveways to crack because they can’t handle the weight. Also, earthquakes and nearby construction projects can damage your driveway.
Concrete Paver Cracks Need Repair
Even though there are many things that can cause cracks in your driveway, that doesn’t mean there is no way to fix them. You can take care of cracks on your own, which keeps more from showing up.
These do-it-yourself methods are:
- First, pull out any weeds you see growing in the cracks and make sure they are dead.
- Use a wire brush to clean the crack or cracks. Make sure to clean all of the crack’s edges (s).
- You can pull out any other debris in the crack with the help of an air compressor (s).
- Pour on the glue. (special caulk, concrete, grout)
Why Pick Pavers for Your Driveway?
Driveway pavers are popular not only because they look nice, but also because they are good for the structure. Resurfacing the driveway might be less expensive and take less time, but in the long run, it can cost you a lot more than putting pavers down. This is because resurfacing your driveway will only hide the cracks under its surface for a short time. Since the real problems won’t be fixed, the cracks will come back after a while.
So, resurfacing is only a good idea if you plan to do it often or just want to hide some stains on the driveway. You should use driveway pavers for any other major problems, like cracks.
Here are a few good things about a driveway made of concrete pavers:
Outlook
There is no doubt that pavers look much better than a resurfaced area. There are a lot of different colors and patterns of pavers you can choose from to make your home look better.
Durability
In Oregon, there are a lot of pavers that offer driveway pavers that are stronger than concrete driveways. These pavers can handle all kinds of loads and heavy vehicles and don’t crack or get damaged easily.
Being flexible
Extreme temperatures make it more likely that concrete driveways will crack. On the other hand, pavers can easily adapt to changes in temperature without breaking.
Maintenance
When compared to a driveway made of poured concrete, driveway pavers are easy to take care of. That’s because pavers are easy to fix or get rid of if they get cracks or stains.
Installation
To pour a concrete driveway, you need to bring in a heavy truck that mixes concrete, and then you have to wait a week for the concrete to cure. You can’t use the driveway either during this time. But there is no waiting time when it comes to pavers. After they are put in place, you can use the driveway right away.
Bottom Line
Even though there are a lot of companies that install pavers, you should pick one that specializes in driveway pavers. Getting the right hardscape contractor is important if you want your remodeling project to go well as a whole. Now that you know how important a driveway is for your house, make sure you plan your remodeling budget so that you have enough money to fix up the driveway as well. Get in touch with us today.
