Resurfacing or replacing: how to tell which one you actually need

Surface problems are almost always resurfacing jobs

If the complaint is how it looks, resurfacing will very likely solve it. That covers dated stencil or stamped patterns, faded and patchy colour, staining and discolouration, general wear, and fine surface cracking.

The slab in these cases is doing its job. It is only the top few millimetres that have given up, and that is exactly what a new decorative surface replaces.

Structural problems are not

There is a point where surface work is the wrong answer, and putting a finish over it would be taking your money for something destined to fail.

• Sections that have visibly sunk or lifted relative to each other
• Wide cracks that keep opening and are still moving
• Large areas of crumbling or badly broken concrete
• A slab that rocks or moves underfoot when you walk on it
• Ongoing drainage problems undermining the base

The awkward middle

Plenty of driveways sit somewhere between. Cracks that are stable, a few spalled patches, one sunken corner. These are usually still resurfacing jobs, with the repairs done properly as part of the preparation.

What we will not do is promise that a repaired crack can never come back. Ground movement is unpredictable, which is why our warranty on crack repairs specifically is limited, and we say that at the quote rather than in the fine print afterwards.

One thing worth knowing about us

We do not pour new concrete. So on the rare occasion we tell you a slab genuinely needs replacing, we are turning work away rather than selling you the bigger option. That is worth keeping in mind when you weigh up the advice.