How to Increase the Durability of Your New Driveway

An Owner’s Guide to Care and Maintenance of Exterior Concrete.

The Kansas City area is considered to be one of the toughest freeze-thaw areas in the country. Sealing your concrete driveway is one of the methods used to combat the effects of the multiple freeze-thaw cycles. By properly sealing the surface of the concrete driveway you help stop the penetration of water into (or just under) the surface of the concrete. Water penetrating the surface and freezing is one of the causes of scaling and popouts, especially in concrete less than two years old. Sealing is the last step in ensuring a good-looking durable driveway that will last for years.

Your concrete driveway will provide many years of service with very little care if you take the following precautions.

  1. After your driveway is poured it should be sealed before the first two winter seasons and then every third year. (Contact your builder, your finisher or your ready-mix supplier for recommendations of a good quality sealer.)
  2. Do not use de-icers of any kind during the first two winters. Sand can be used for traction.
  3. Do not allow snow or ice to accumulate on the driveway during the first two winters. Keep it cleaned off.
  4. Keep fertilizer washed off the driveway, as it will chemically attack the cement paste ultimately destroying the driveway.
  5. Apply a quality sealer to the driveway in the fall of each year for the first two years then every third year after that. Sealers should be applied to dry concrete preferably when the air temperature is above 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • The surface of the driveway must be cleaned and dry prior to sealing.
    • Contact your builder or ready-mix supplier for additional information and for recommendation of a good quality sealer.

Geiger Ready-Mix Recommendations:

  1. Clean the surface (either a good sweeping, a leaf blower or by power washing).
  2. Allow adequate time to dry thoroughly.
  3. Apply sealer -We strongly recommend using TK-290 Tri Siloxane Sealer manufactured by TK Products, or Price Salt Sentry manufactured by Price Research, LTD.

A 5 gallon can of either brand of sealer will cover approximately 750 square feet. The sealer can be applied with a paint roller or by using a garden type sprayer.

We recommend that you seal your exterior concrete before the first two winters and then every 3rd year to increase the durability of your driveways, sidewalks and patios.

Concrete that is maintained properly, unlike most building materials, will gain strength and durability with age. The two most common problems associated with concrete driveways and sidewalks are scaling and shale popouts. Both can be minimized if you follow the suggestions listed above.

With proper care your driveway will provide you with many years of service.