Frequently Asked Questions

HomeGuide's national figures put a concrete driveway at about $6 to $15 a square foot installed, or $2,400 to $6,000 for a 20 by 20 foot two-car drive. Removing an old driveway adds about $2 to $6 a square foot. Driveway sizes and shapes vary from lot to lot, so we measure yours and price the actual layout in a written quote.

A handyman can set a few precast steppers or patch a small crack. A driveway, patio or set of steps is different. It needs excavation, a compacted base, forms set to slope, enough people to place and finish a truckload before it sets, and joints cut on time. Mistakes in any of those show up after the first winter, and fixing them means tearing the slab out.

The phrase is usually used for compacted crushed stone, a mix of gravel and stone dust that packs hard and is sometimes used for parking pads and paths. It is cheaper than concrete but ruts, washes out and is hard to plow. It does make a good base under concrete, which is how we use it.

Concrete finishers or cement masons. They place the concrete, screed it flat, float and finish the surface, edge it and cut joints. Flatwork contractors like us do that work along with the demolition, base preparation and forming that come before it.

Yes. We pour stamped patios, walks and borders with integral or broadcast color and a sealer. Stamped concrete in this climate needs resealing every few years to keep salt and water out of the pattern.

Most flatwork is poured from spring through late fall, when ground and air temperatures let concrete cure properly. Cold-weather pours are possible with blankets and adjusted mixes, but frozen ground cannot be poured on. Booking in winter or early spring gets you a spot in the schedule.

Avoid deicing salt on new concrete through its first winter. Use sand for traction instead. A slab poured in late fall is most at risk, so we seal it and give you written care steps before the cold sets in.

HomeGuide puts concrete driveway life at about 30 to 40 years with maintenance. In Northeast Ohio, the base, air entrainment and sealing decide where in that range a driveway ends up.

HomeGuide lists asphalt at about $5 to $12 a square foot with a 15 to 30 year life, against $6 to $15 and 30 to 40 years for concrete. Asphalt is cheaper up front and handles salt well. Concrete lasts longer, stays cooler and needs less frequent upkeep.

Four inches is standard for passenger cars. We go to 5 or 6 inches where trucks, campers or trailers park, and thicken the edges and apron.

Yes, if the rest is sound. We cut out the failed sections at existing joints and pour new ones level with the old. If most of the drive is failing, full replacement usually costs less over time.

Usually about a week for cars, longer in cool weather. We give you a specific date based on the pour conditions.

HomeGuide lists plain concrete patios at about $4 to $12 a square foot, so a 16 by 16 foot patio runs roughly $1,000 to $3,100 and a 20 by 20 about $1,600 to $4,800. Decorative finishes cost more.

Four inches is standard for foot traffic and furniture. We thicken areas under hot tubs, fire features or heavy planters.

Concrete costs less per square foot and is easier to keep clean. Pavers can be lifted and reset if they settle. Either one depends on a good compacted base.

Yes, with an isolation joint at the wall and a slope away from the foundation so water does not run toward the basement.

Yes, when it is air-entrained, properly jointed and kept sealed. Most problems come from skipped sealing, which lets water and salt into the surface.

Every two to three years is typical. Reseal sooner if water stops beading or the color looks dull.

Sealed stamped concrete can be slick when wet. We mix a fine anti-slip additive into the sealer on walks, steps and pool areas.

Usually. HomeGuide lists pavers at about $10 to $30 a square foot for driveways and stamped concrete at $8 to $26. Pavers can be reset individually, while stamped concrete is one slab.

A sound slab can get a stamped overlay, a thin decorative layer. A cracked or sunken slab needs to be replaced first.

It depends on the city, and the rules differ from one suburb to the next. We check the requirements for your city and street before quoting public walk work.

Yes. We cut out failed sections at the joints and pour new ones level with the neighbors.

If the damage is limited to a corner or a tread edge and the stoop is solid, a patch can work. If the stoop has pulled away from the house or the concrete is soft throughout, replacement lasts much longer.

Usually the next day for light foot traffic. We give you timing based on temperature and the mix used.

Four inches is common for cars, with 5 to 6 inches for trucks or heavy equipment and thickened edges where walls bear.

Yes. We break out the old floor inside the building, rebuild the base and pour a new slab sloped toward the door.

New garages usually need permits, and some cities also require them for slabs or floor replacement. We check with your city before scheduling.

For a small resin shed, a leveled gravel bed may be enough. For a wood shed, a workshop or anything you will roll a mower or tractor into, a slab keeps the floor square, dry and off the soil, and that is what we suggest.

If the slab is in one piece with surface wear or a sunken section, yes. If it is broken into loose pieces or the base has failed, replacement lasts longer for the money.

Both lift sunken slabs. HomeGuide lists mudjacking at $4 to $9 a square foot and foam at $8 to $25. Foam is lighter and leaves smaller holes. Mudjacking costs less.

Flaking, or scaling, usually comes from water and salt freezing in the top layer, especially on concrete that was not air-entrained or was finished wet. Resurfacing and sealing can help if the slab underneath is sound.

Hairline cracks, yes. HomeGuide says resurfacing fits cracks under a quarter inch. Wider or moving cracks reflect through a new surface.

Yes. Chipped edges and corners on solid steps can be rebuilt. Steps that have separated from the house usually need replacing.