If you’re thinking about pouring your own concrete driveway this summer—don’t. With the summer heat ways and extreme temperatures, pouring your own driveway is a recipe for disaster that can leads to cracks and damage to your new driveway.
The reason it’s risky to pour your own driveway in the heat is because concrete cures through hydration. When concrete mixture gets warmer than 77 degrees, the hydration process is sped up and the concrete begins to generate its own internal heat. This can cause the necessary hydration to be lost through evaporation. Improperly hydrated concrete can result in a loss of strength and durability.
A few other problems caused by loss of hydration include:
- Difficulty finishing your concrete driveway
- Drying or shrinkage of hardened concrete
- Risk of concrete cracking
If it’s so difficult to redo your concrete in the summer, why do so many people choose replace it anyway? Many people have more time in the summer months with time off and not having to worry about dropping children to and from school. It’s also important to fix any problems with your driveway before it gets too cold, because any extreme temperatures can exasperate existing problems such as cracking.
One huge reason many people choose to have their driveways re-done in the summer months is the curb appeal. The summer months are when people have family and friends over for barbecues and pool parties. Cracked and damaged driveways not only pose the risk of family or friends falling, but can act as a source of embarrassment.
With the summer months comes the home buying and selling season. Having the curb appeal of a freshly redone driveway can boost the home value and potentially help sell your home faster. A cracked and damaged driveway sticks out like a sore thumb and may be the thing that makes your neighbors home sell above yours.
Those positive factors of timing, reduced liability, and curb appeal are why it’s so important to call a professional when deciding to re-do your driveway this summer. Professionals have the manpower to get a concrete done in a timely manner before that evaporation process can occur. Professional concrete companies have tools to help when evaporation does become a problem, like an evaporation retarder to help slow that process down. And of course, years of experience ensures that that correct method is followed to allow concrete to set properly and prevent cracking caused by improper installation.
Your best bet is to avoid extreme weather all together, but here in Michigan those weather extremes can be hard to avoid. Here at Flat Rock Concrete Contractors, we’ve been servicing South Michigan for over 20 years. Our crews are skilled and focused on providing customers quality concrete products even in these summer months! Don’t gamble on re-doing your driveway yourself this summer. Trust the experts and enjoy your extra time this summer with other things—like relaxing!
Give us a call today at (248)379-0250 or (586)726-6091 for a free quote on how we can help you meet your home improvement needs!