Concrete Repair in Mesquite, TX

Concrete repair is often the smartest money a Mesquite homeowner can spend on old flatwork. Census estimates summarized by Point2Homes show that about two-thirds of Mesquite's homes were built between 1950 and 1989, so a great deal of the city's concrete is roughly 35 to 75 years old. Not all of it needs to be torn out. A driveway with two sunken panels, a walk with one trip edge, or a patio with a few open cracks can usually be repaired for a fraction of a full replacement.

Why concrete breaks here

The Dallas County Master Gardeners describe the soil in the Dallas area as expansive black clay that swells when wet and shrinks and cracks when dry. That movement lifts slabs in wet springs and leaves them hanging over gaps in late summer. Water that runs off roofs and driveways washes out the base along edges. Tree roots lift walks and curbs. Add freezing rain a couple of times a winter, which Wikipedia's Dallas climate page mentions, and salt or ice melt on steps, and old concrete takes a beating.

Repair options

• Crack sealing. Cracks are cleaned out and filled with a flexible sealant so water stays out of the base. This is the cheapest repair and the one that prevents the most damage later.
• Slab lifting. Sunken panels can be raised by pumping material under them. HomeGuide's leveling guide lists mudjacking at $4 to $9 a square foot and polyurethane foam at $8 to $25, against $6 to $15 for replacement. Mudjacking is usually the cheaper of the three; foam can cost more than new concrete on a large area.
• Section replacement. A broken or badly heaved panel is saw-cut at the joints, removed and repoured with new base and doweled steel tying it to its neighbors.
• Trip edge grinding. A small lip at a joint can be ground down so nobody catches a toe.
• Resurfacing. A worn, flaking surface on otherwise sound concrete can take a bonded overlay.
• Joint and edge repair. Chipped joints and broken edges are cut back and patched.

Get a Free Estimate

Fix it or start over?

We say plainly which one your concrete needs. Repair fits when the slab is mostly in one piece, the cracks are narrow and only a few panels have sunk. Replacement fits when cracks cross most panels, the top has worn through to the stone, the slab pitches water at the house, or the repairs would cover more than about half the area. HomeGuide says leveled concrete typically lasts 5 to 10 years or more, against 30 to 40 for a new driveway. If your slab is near the end already, lifting it may only push back the bill, so we price both and let you pick.

Finding the cause

A repair that ignores the cause will fail again. Before we fix a sunken section, we look at where the water comes from: a downspout aimed at the slab, a sprinkler that soaks the edge, or a low spot in the yard. We suggest the fix, often a downspout extension or a regrade, along with the concrete work.

Matching old concrete

New concrete is lighter than old concrete at first and darkens over time. It will never match perfectly on day one. Sealing the whole slab after a repair helps blend the color, and a broom finish matched to the old texture makes patches less obvious.

Keeping repairs working

Check crack sealant every year or two and touch it up. Keep water away from slab edges. Use sand instead of salt on steps and walks during an ice storm.