How to Repair Cracks and Resurface a Concrete Driveway

Most driveways and patios develop a crack or two in the concrete over the years. These can be caused by everything from tree roots and movement of the soil to freezing and thawing cycles in the winter. Rather than breaking up the slab and pouring a new one, you might want to consider repairing it using Quikrete Concrete Resurfacer.

Start by using a pressure washer to remove any mold, mildew, and dirt. After wetting down the slab, a special masonry cleaning solution is added to the reservoir on the pressure washer and sprayed on the surface.

pressure washer

Once the cleaner has been applied, a high pressure nozzle is attached to the washer and the surface is thoroughly cleaned. Be sure to clean out the cracks out as well, removing any dirt or loose concrete so the patching material will adhere to the concrete.

high pressure nozzle

Next, mix up enough Quikrete® Concrete Resurfacer with water in a five-gallon bucket to fill the cracks.

Quikrete® Concrete Resurfacer

A mixing paddle chucked in a ½” drill makes preparing the patching material easy.

thick concrete poured in cracks

Make the mixture a thick consistency, and pour in on the cracks.

concrete smoothed over cracks

Use a flat edge trowel to force the mixture deep into the cracks.

rubber squeegee

Then smooth out the surface.

resurfacer

After allowing the material to dry overnight, a much thinner batch of resurfacer is mixed up. Before applying it, wet the concrete down to prevent it from drying out too quickly.

Once everything is ready, the resurfacer is spread on the slab using a rubber squeegee. Getting a nice even coat without lap mark can take a bit of practice.

concrete resurfacer

When the resurfacer starts to set up, a broom with an extended handle can be used to give the fresh concrete surface texture and prevent it from becoming slippery when wet.

The resurfacer can handle foot traffic after it has set up for about six hours, and cars can drive on it once it has cured for 24 hours. It really made this patio look new again with a whole lot less work than pouring a new slab.

71 COMMENTS

  1. YOUR ANSWER TO WHAT HARD WATER WAS, O.K.,BUT
    HOW A WATER SOFENER WORKED,UNTRUTHFUL. THE WATER IS NOT FILTERED THRU SALT TABLETS, IF IT WERE IT WOULD BE FAR SALTIER THAN THE OCEAN AND KILL YOU.
    BACK-FLUSHING WITH SALT WATER FLUSHES OUT THE HARD MINERALS AND RE-IONIZES THE FILTER MATERIAL TO ATTRACT THE CALCIUM & MAGNEZIUM.

  3. I have areas of concrete garage floor which has settled up to 2 inches in places and is also cracked. Is there a product I can purchase to bring the floor level and at the same time repair cracks?

  4. Our concrete driveway is in need of repair and some damaged areas are wider than what could be termed a “cracks” — more like a shallow hole and the gravel that lies just under the cement surface is exposed. Can we still use the procedures for “cracked” concrete or do we need to remove large sections of concrete and start from scratch.

  5. Hi Cecelia,
    I’d fill larger holes with a standard concrete mix, troweling it level with the surface. Once it’s set, you could go over the entire area with resurfacer if you wanted it to all have the same texture and color.

  6. I see a crack down the center of my garage floor which shows a line of water and another wet line across my garage floor (which in concrete). How can I fix this problem. This is the first time I’ve ever seen this wetness after a wind driven rain storm.

    Thank you.
    Lorraine

  7. Just looked over repairing cracks in a concrete driveway. Thanks!!! I was afraid I would have to live with these because I couldn’t afford to replace the driveway.

    Danny, you and your show are truly consumer advocates!

    Willie

  8. Danny, we have a wall builtin oven and cannot grow the space. Is there any place we can find a 23 or 24W by 25H (greatest length we can go) oven? Help us please since we have no other way to go.
    Thanks.
    Lin

  9. I have large cracks in my driveway. Can I use just use the quikrete to fill the crack,without resurfing the whole slab? Will it expand with the winter frosts? thank you john

  10. Last year I hired workers to pour a concrete patio, which bumped up to an existing sidewalk. I questioned them as to whether they should breakup the sidewalk and they said, not necessary. Now I have a huge crack in the patio which follows the line of the sidewalk. Is there anything I can do other than start over?

  11. Danny – I have a concrete driveway that has an exposed aggregate finsh. Cracks have developed and I would like to fill them without covering the entire surface as shown in your video.

    Thanks for your help

  12. What do you do about concrete floor inside the garage that over time has become pitted in small areas and foams during the winter months. How do you fix?

  13. I have a concrete driveway that has a California style to it, when it snows the smooth part of the design gets very slippery, what can I do to prevent this. I would like to take care of the driveway come Spring. Is there some kind of compound that could be mixed and brushed on, like a sand mixture or something to that effect. Thank you.

  14. I have several small cracks and indenations in my garage floor cracks appox. 1/4″ wide by 4″ deep, same thing in my drive way across my driveway appox.feet from street you can see the gravel, any suggestions or help. THANK YOU

  15. I have a crack in my concrete wall in my basement of my house. It is approx. 12 inches from the floor of the basement. Orginally thought I didn’t have my roof gutter drains far enough from the house. I did the extend down spout away from house. Thought this was solutions until this winter we discover more water on floor in basement. Then we removed wallboard in basement and found this leak in concrete wall. Can this fixed without digging up ground on the outside of the house. Can you help? Is there any responibility for contractor? House is 15 years old.

  16. I had a new concrete driveway poured about a month ago. I had decorative diamond shaped pattern,trowel cut into the driveway. The finishers made all the lines deep, like control joints, and many of them have large cracks inside, from uneven smoothing / back smoothing, with the V-tool, which caused some of the concrete to lift within the joints. I want to fill the internal cracks within the joints. What should I use?

  17. Our patio is made with exposed aggregate concrete. We would like to cover with stone tiles, but how do we prep the existing concrete? I assume it will have to be leveled, but I’m not sure what route to go with this.

  18. I used the driveway coating on my concrete drive and it came out in uneven grey colors. Can you tell what can I do to make it a uniform color.

    Thank you,
    Bob

  19. my house is about 7 years old and now there is a big hole underneath my drive way this came as a result of my house settling down because my house was build on a basement slab and now rain has continue to wash the dirt that was use to fill the driveway.the hole is so big that from one end you can see thru the other end.how do i fix this mess

  20. I have a long concrete drive way, but it is section out
    10″X16” the drive way starts to sink down about 1 inch lower than the other section. I called one small drive way repair company over to do estimate, they said they are able to level by jack up lower section and then pour down more dirt and concrete…. Is it possible to do this or better bust off this section and redo new concrete??

  21. My concrete driveway has 4″-5″ cracks where I am constantly sweeping the stones out. There is an area that is approx. 1 foot square that has no concrete remaining at all, just dirt. Also halfways down the driveway, just past the main sidewalk that has sunk in the middle, about 1 foot area.
    I understand the cracks can be repaired, but what about the other problems.
    Please advise.

  22. Danny
    I just had a concrete pad poured for my garage 24 X 29
    the guys were paid but upon inspection the pad is very rough and when i drive on it pebbles keep braking loose
    leaving little holes an ongoing problem will resurfacing help me

  23. hello..i got a concrete driveway put in last year..am not happy with the finsh..what you think i should put on it to get a better finsh..but i dont want it any higher…hope you can help…thank you..paul

  24. I have a sloping concrete driveway that has a large (up to 3/4″) crack the entire width. I can see inside with a flashlight that it’s almost a foot deep in parts (rain has been slowly washing out from under it), and up to five or six inches wide (the cavity).

    1) What can I use to fill in such a large cavity (expanding foam?), and then,

    2) what topping-off patching should I use (to finish it off)?

    Thanks very much

  26. I see a lot of comments submitted and many of the comments are really questions but I see very few answers on the website from the professtional. Plesse put the answers to the questions so we can all learn. Thank you, Wayne

    • Hi Wayne,
      Thank you for your interest in our website. The space under each article is reserved for comments visitors to the site would like to post. These can be general comments, feedback about the article, questions about the topic, or answers to questions posted by other visitors or members. While it’s not possible for Danny and the Today’s Homeowner staff to respond personally to the thousands of comments posted on our site, we try to help out when we can with over 500 answers posted on the site to date.

  27. I HAVE A DRIVEWAY DAMAGED A FEW YEARS AGO DUE TO SALT PUT ON IT DURING THE WINTER. THE SURFACE HAS ERODED IN SPOTS. ARE THERE ANY SOLUTIONS TO THIS PROBLEM SHORT OF PUTTING IN A NEW DRIVE?
    THANKS

  28. I had my concrete drive spraycreted about 4 years ago, the then painted it with a xylene based stain. I went over it last year to change the color with a xylene based stain and it bubbled. I have 2 questions. #1 when i pressure wash to try to get the stain off in order to repaint the drive it is actually taking up the top surface of the concrete thus leaving it kinda pitted. Wat can I use to patch the drive in order to smooth it out to repaint? #2 Can I use the same patch over the xylene based stain without pressure washing the concrete and causing it to pit? Will the patch stick over the xylene?

  29. I poured a concrete slab 30×36. It got away from me and the other guy and dried uneven with alot of dips and knotches. I used a grinder and it’s mostly level but the gravel is exposed in places and it still has some half inch low points. What are my options so I can end up with a good and even surface on my slab

  30. Danny,

    How well does this thin layer of concrete hold up on a driveway? It seems like it would break up rather quickly.

    Thanks

  31. I need to pour a small addition of concrete (3′ x 4′) on the side of my driveway. I plan to dig away the grass and dirt, and frame it in before pouring the concrete. My question: How deep do you recommend and do you recommend packing it first with gravel or sand — or both. Any particular concrete you recommend? Thank you.

  32. I would have to agree with Wayne McAllister. Looks to me like 99% of what’s on here are people with a problem with no help at all from a web site that saids “Expert Advice on Home Improvement”. So I need some help, but I guess there’s no sense asking the question because I don,t think all the people on here want to read about mine too.
    Thank You.
    George

    • George,
      We’ve answered over 800 questions on our site to date, so I guess you’ll never know unless you ask!

  33. Gee
    answered back faster then I thought. didn’t think you would say anything.
    any way, is there a way to send a picture of whats wrong to help explain the problem?

    thanks
    george

    • Hi Alberta,
      Inventory at home centers can vary regionally, but I checked and Home Depot had it in stock locally in my area (Mobile, AL). If it’s not a stock item in your area, ask if they can special order it for you. Good luck with your project!

  35. We resurfaced our concrete patio using RESTORE CONCRETE purchased at Ace Hardware–2 gallons per box covering 10 sq ft. It was easy but time consuming. Please with the results and cracks are hidden.

  36. I had a patio poured about 5 weeks ago. The contractor who poured it underestimated the amount of concrete he needed for the job. He had to order more from the mixer truck, but it took over an hour for the truck to return. By that time the concrete already poured was unworkable (it was 100 degrees out). When they poured the new batch, they couldn’t get it even with the old, so there’s a horrible looking overlap now. His solution is to come out and put a thin-set layer over the top. My concern is this will chip and break off after a couple of years. Is my concern valid? Wouldn’t the proper thing to do is jackhammer the uneven section and pour a new slab?
    Thanks in advance for your advice.

  37. My driveway has begun to chip and pit due to using salt during the winter. I want to do the repairs myself if possible (due to cost), but I want to ensure that the solution will last for several years to come. My question is how long does the Quikrete Resurface generally last before it will need additional reconditioning? Also, after resurfacing, is it recommended to use some kind of water sealer to keep it from pitting in the future? If so, are there any products that you recommend?

  38. ‘Danny’,
    on 11/4/08 Ron Hill asked how to repair cracks in an exposed aggregate driveway… I am having the same issues and would like to know if you have any insight how one might rectify this situation (without shelling out the 8 grand I’ve been quoted for replacement)… please help… thank you,

  39. I HAVE A CONCRETE DRIVEWAY 22 X 44 ITS ABOUT 30 YEARS OLD I HAVE CRACKS, SOME SMALL, SOME QUARTER INCH WIDE. I WANT TO RESURFACE THE ENTIRE DRIVEWAY THAT LOOKS LIKE CONCRETE WHEN FINISHED….1″ THICK OR MORE. WHAT IS THE BEST PRODUCE TO USE–LEAST COSTLY TO DO THIS BIG SURFACE D.I.Y. I LIVE IN TOPEKA KS WEATHER GETS EXTREME HOT/COLD. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP AND PRODUCT INFORMATION.

  40. I have a driveway where one panel {12′ x 12′} has broken in the middle on the right side, and has sunk about 12″ below the original level. On the far outer left the edge of the panel is raised up about 3″ above original level. I thought about hiring a cantractor to replace the whole panel, but can’t afford the quote. I am up to the challenge of repairing it, but is this kind of damage repairable? I mean, could this involve the underlying subsoil, or do you think that I concrete filling could work?

  41. I have an office building that has cracks in the concrete porch area. Can this technique be done without needing to raise the thresholds of the doors that are adjacent to this surface. Will this resurfaced area crack? What is your experience? thank you.

  42. Hi, I need to repair an area of concrete that is about 1 ” low and water develops and in the winter it can be very dangerous when it freezes. I plain to clean the area and fill in some cracks and use Portland cement as a first layer so that the concrete mix will adhere to it better . Will this work ?Thank you

  43. I have several long hairline cracks in my driveway. Nothing bigger than a centimeter. Should i worry about these or try to use a concrete crack filler? Thanks.

  44. Hi, I have a concrete yard which over the years has become pitted by the use of salt. We are talking of about 100metres by 50 metres. What would you suggest as the best possible course of action. We use forklifts and 10t lorries on it.

  45. Can we use the same procedure you used to fix the cracks on the driveway, on a pool deck? Also, I would like to resurface our patio using the procedure above, (make for a cleaner look) can I just go over the lines that were originally/intentionally created in the patio? How should I handle?

  46. Your how to resurfacing driveway is very good.

    How long does the resurfaced driveway last,ie. in years, and is the Quickrete Concrete resurfacer the best product?

    Are there any other recommended resurfacing agents and do you recommend sealing the new surface with any waterborne masonry sealers?

  47. A year ago I paid a contractor to cement my backyard. Immediately after contractor poured the cement down, it rained. It rained continuously for three consecutive days. Now a year later my backyard looks has if the job had been done 50 years ago. The job look terrible. The concrete look very light in color (whitish) and feel sandy. Every time I wet the area or when it rains the concrete seems to be cracking and washing away gradually.

    After the first winter it appears that the concrete is cracking away faster than I expected and the gravel under the cement is becoming more and more visible.

    My bugdet is very tight and we cannot afford to pay another person to pave or cement the backyard again. What would you suggest as the best possible course of action to repair the area? And approximately how long will this “quick fix method” last?

  48. Hi Danny, I have a concrete patio that is over 50 years old, it’s less than 1/2 ” thick and is cracked, broken and missing in some spots. I don’t know how to approach this problem-I have a very, very small budget. Can we use self leveling cement over the existing cracked patio, can we dig out the holes fill them and then do the self leveling, should we try a pebble epoxy patio…I was hoping you can help with a suggestion for a DIY project for my husband and myself-we are quite handy, just not a lot of experience with cracked concrete. Thanks very much & hope to hear from you.

    • Hi Wendy,
      Patio slabs are typically 4″ thick (3½” really, since you use 2x4s for the form). If your slab is only 1/2″ thick, you would need to pour another slab (either on top of what’s there, or remove the existing slab first) for it to hold up over time. Another option would be to replace it with a paver patio, which makes a good DIY project.

  49. I currently have an aggregate patio and would like to turn it into a nice brushed concrete. Is there a way to do a resurfacing job on this instead of tearing out the aggregate and pouring a new patio?

  50. Hi Danny
    Ive got the same thing as alot of people with thier driveway’s, mine has chipped out piece’s here and there but only about a quarter inch deep.
    i guewss i could use the same thing as you Danny for all the spots as long as i can get the dirt and broke peices out of it so it’s fairly clean.

  51. I am buying a small mobile home in AZ which needs some work and which I intend to use as a rental. it never freezes there but gets very hot in the summer. The driveway is flat, about 20′ x 30′ long and is very worn and pitted.

    Can I just put gravel over this? I’m not sure I can afford a resurfacing after everything else I need to do. How much trouble would it be to chop up the existing driveway, haul it off, and then put gravel down? This is a new experience for me. Thanks.

  52. Hi! I am going to try this DIY project on my porch. After I have resurfaced the concrete, I was wanting to stain the concrete a darker gray color. Will it look right on resurfaced concrete?

  54. Is it possible to post an update to the “How to Repair Cracks and Resurface a Concrete Driveway” video to show how it held up after a few months/years?

    I plan on doing a project similar to the one in the video for my garage, and was curious if the driveway in the video has cracked or pitted.

    Thanks!

  55. Is all new concrete bad? We spent over 11grand to put in driveways and sidewalks. Had it replaced because of flaking out, leaving tiny rocks exposed. Wish we had used blacktop.

  58. Hi,

    I have an asphalt driveway that I am looking to do some repairs on. I was doing some research on the products that are out there and I came across this website:

    http://diydriveway.com/sealcoat/

    I don’t really know if I can trust these reviews, could you give me some suggestions on the products they offer?

  59. Most DIY for repairing cement cracks say to widen the crack first to allow for better adhesion. How come you guys didn’t say to do this also?

  61. I Would like to fix the existing cracks in my driveway and then place a stamped service over it. The service area will be approximately 3000 ft.² I am a cheap son of a blank blank blank and would like to find some used stamps in a stone pattern also would like to have a list of all materials I would need to perform this operation

  62. Good video. But how do I put in expansion joints after filling in the cracks and resurfacing the driveway? Otherwise, over time with the heat of summer and the cold of winter, it’s just going to crack again. Then I’m right back where I started.

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