Concrete drive has turned to sand and stones. Anything I can do?

_Whimsical_ · 20-02-2010 03:05PM #1

I'm not sure if this is the right place.Please move if you want mods.

My concrete driveway seems to have disintegrated into sand and little stones since the snow in January. There's no point in brushing it clean as all it seems to do is uproot even more sandiness. The drive is only down around 5 years.

Is there anything I could have done with it or does it need to be dug up?

It would suit me much better to ignore it right now for financial reasons but everyone who came into the house brings sand and little stones on their shoes and the floors are being destroyed.

Poor Uncle Tom · 20-02-2010 05:17PM

Can you get a close up picture of it to post here as it sounds odd for this to happen after only five years. I've seen 40 year old silo slabs and this doesn't happen.

gears · 20-02-2010 10:46PM

It sounds like it's past it. Do you know what mix was used, was it a premix company supplied the concrete or was it mixed on site. It may have been a very lean mix or salty sand was used, maybe not directly from a beach but from a coastal county where you would need to use more cement than normal to get a good mix.

_Whimsical_ · 21-02-2010 12:21AM

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

Can you get a close up picture of it to post here as it sounds odd for this to happen after only five years. I've seen 40 year old silo slabs and this doesn't happen.

I'll try to get a photo tomorrow Uncle Tom.It's been raining and even snowing all evening here so I couldn't take one.

gears wrote: »

It sounds like it's past it. Do you know what mix was used, was it a premix company supplied the concrete or was it mixed on site. It may have been a very lean mix or salty sand was used, maybe not directly from a beach but from a coastal county where you would need to use more cement than normal to get a good mix.

Hmmm .I live near a beach. I hope beach sand was not used for my driveway.

I don't know what mix was used in the cement. I just hired someone who was laying a brick patio for a neighbour and presumed they've do a good job. It was expensive but it was a cash in hand thing so I'd say I'd have no come back with the guy who did it.:(

No nice nifty solution where you can put a thin unexpensive layer of cement over the top and have it all gel together again, no?
(I don't know much about these things.

)

doctorjohn · 28-03-2010 12:55PM

did you put salt down on it during the freeze ??????

Pot Noodle = · 28-03-2010 12:59PM

Try and call Silka they might have a product that will help or Construction Chemicals Ltd google them hope this helps

NickTellis · 30-03-2010 09:34AM

doctorjohn wrote: »

did you put salt down on it during the freeze ??????

Thats exactly what I was thinking too. We put salt down on our concrete pathways and they've turned to sand and stone... :eek:

Sundy · 31-03-2010 02:29PM

A lot of places in Ireland had over 30 continous days of Freeze thaw during the jan feb period. That is very tough on concrete as the water expands inside the concrete when it freezes weakening the structre. i saw concrete that had been fine for 10/15 years begin to show damage this winter.
As one poster said salt could have done the damage too, or any chemical.

i wouldnt worry about sand from a sand pit near the sea being used either as the years of water filtering through it would have washed alot of the salt away. chance are the person who layed it ordered the cheapest mix he could get away with. Any idea what readymix company he used?

Concrete drive has turned to sand and stones. Anything I can do?

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