Laying concrete on concrete?

Laying concrete on concrete?

Author
Discussion

ridds

Original Poster:

8,285 posts

251 months

Sunday 16th August 2009
quotequote all
I'm looking to tidy up my drive, fill in holes and level off etc and was wondering if it's ok just to put concrete on top of the concrete that's already there?

Will I have problems with it cracking and separating from the base etc?

TheEnd

15,370 posts

195 months

Sunday 16th August 2009
quotequote all
What's the full plan? just fill the holes, or go over everything?

jaybkay

488 posts

227 months

Sunday 16th August 2009
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A builder once told me that you should pour a minimum of 100mm thick concrete so it doesn't crack etc

ridds

Original Poster:

8,285 posts

251 months

Sunday 16th August 2009
quotequote all
Plan was to effectively skim the lot so it's level again which would give varying thickness from say 1cm up to 6-7cm in places.

ridds

Original Poster:

8,285 posts

251 months

Sunday 16th August 2009
quotequote all
jaybkay said:
A builder once told me that you should pour a minimum of 100mm thick concrete so it doesn't crack etc
Ouch! That's going to cost a lot then..... Driveway is 28m long. frown

TheEnd

15,370 posts

195 months

Sunday 16th August 2009
quotequote all
Yea, i think that's gonna be a little too thin.
You can try it, but as mentioned above, ideally you need the concrete think enough to support any weight by itself, the thinner sections only need to move a fraction for them to start cracking again, especially if above other cracks, which show there is some sort of movement going on.

by all means, you can give it a go, weigh it up with level with a few cracks that might need the odd local repair vs the current potholeyness

ridds

Original Poster:

8,285 posts

251 months

Sunday 16th August 2009
quotequote all
I'm tempted to give it a go as it's terrible at them moment with holes, lots of plants, puddles etc.

A few cracks may be easier to deal with.

Autonotiv

2,673 posts

231 months

Sunday 16th August 2009
quotequote all
Don't even bother trying to lay concrete down to 10mm think it will just crack etc so you will have just wasted your money.

Best thing if you want a proper job and a nice (ish concrete doesn't look that good) drive would be to dig up the exsisting and put down a well compacted base then pour the new drive on top, or maybe even go for something else, gravel, blockpaving tarmac etc etc.


ridds

Original Poster:

8,285 posts

251 months

Sunday 16th August 2009
quotequote all
Believe me none of that is an option. laugh

Just looking for a cheap way to tidy up a shared drive that the other party is not willing to pay for.

Spending lots of money is just going to negate any money I may make when it comes to move on.

frown

GreenV8S

30,475 posts

291 months

Sunday 16th August 2009
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From the sound of it, weedkiller plus some tactical filling-in of the worst potholes would be your best bet.

TheD

3,136 posts

206 months

Monday 17th August 2009
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Thin concrete just doesn't work. The best way for the smallest amount of money but a bit of effort would be to stihl saw out the cracks and square cut round the potholes. Dig/gouge out the old concrete and refill.

mrmaggit

10,146 posts

255 months

Monday 17th August 2009
quotequote all
TheD said:
Thin concrete just doesn't work. The best way for the smallest amount of money but a bit of effort would be to stihl saw out the cracks and square cut round the potholes. Dig/gouge out the old concrete and refill.
Do This.

You might want to prime the sides and bottom of the hole with a slurry mix of cement and SBR first, to increase bonding. PVA is water-soluble, so don't use this in this case.

rsv gone!

11,288 posts

248 months

Monday 17th August 2009
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If you only want a thin layer then tarmac will be a better option. You'll still need 30-40mm and a tack coat, though.

mk1fan

10,648 posts

232 months

Monday 17th August 2009
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At 28M long then there should be some movement joints in the concrete too.

Laying a 10mm thick topping coat of concrete isn't going to work as it'll break the first time you (or the neighbour) drives over it.

Tarmac is a good alternative for a 'thin' top coat but as said you'll still need atleast 40mm and some form of kerbing detail.

Chopping out the cracks and potholes refilling them with concrete and cutting in some movement joints is a good repair but if there are 100 holes to be done then you may as well lift the whole lot and relay it.

If the most important thing is making money on the property then consider what impact the bad access is going to have. Doesn't matter how good the house is if you wreck your car getting to it. So any future valuation will reflect this and it'll also give any buyer a negotiation point. If that future 'hassle' is acceptable to you then just leave drive as is.

Edited by mk1fan on Monday 17th August 11:57