Concrete Driveways in Bowling Green, KY

Concrete driveways take more abuse than any other slab at a house. They carry cars and trucks every day, they sit in the sun all summer, and in winter they collect water, ice and the salt that tires drag in from the street. In Bowling Green they also sit on clay soil over limestone, which softens when soaked. A driveway that lasts here is mostly about what goes under it and how water leaves it.

When a driveway is due for replacement

• A crack runs edge to edge and one side has dropped below the other
• The slab has settled at the garage door, at the street or along a side
• Big patches of the top layer have scaled or peeled away
• Rain ponds in low spots or flows back toward the garage
• You now own more vehicles than it was built to hold
• You want to swap gravel or worn asphalt for concrete

Tear-out and base

Most replacement jobs start with breaking out the old concrete and hauling it off. Then we dig out topsoil and soft clay to firm ground. On Bowling Green clay, this step matters more than any other. We put down crushed stone in layers and compact each one, then check the grade so the finished driveway sheds water toward the street or the yard rather than toward the garage. Where a driveway meets the street, the apron and curb may be in the city right-of-way, and the City of Bowling Green requires a right-of-way work permit for work in a street, curb, gutter or sidewalk.

Thickness and steel

Four inches is the usual thickness for passenger cars. If a heavy pickup, an RV, a loaded trailer or delivery trucks will use the drive, 5 or 6 inches makes more sense, with the extra depth where the weight lands, such as the apron. We set rebar or wire mesh on supports so it ends up near the middle of the slab. Steel will not keep concrete from cracking; its job is to keep cracked pieces tight and at the same height.

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Pour, finish and joints

Exterior concrete in a climate that freezes and thaws gets an air-entrained mix. Those microscopic bubbles act as relief space when absorbed water turns to ice, which cuts down on scaling. A broom texture goes on for traction on wet or frosty mornings. Control joints go in roughly every 10 feet, adjusted for width and thickness, so shrinkage cracks land in a straight line. Isolation material separates the drive from the garage slab, the house and any public sidewalk.

Curing and the first winter

Concrete gains strength for weeks after the pour. We cure the surface so it does not dry too fast, especially in Bowling Green's hot, humid summers when around 41 days a year reach 90 degrees. Plan on keeping cars off for about a week. Before the first winter, a sealer helps keep water and salt out of the surface. In the first year, avoid putting de-icing salt directly on new concrete; sand gives traction without the damage.

Caring for a concrete driveway

• Reseal every two to three years, the interval HomeGuide recommends.
• Rinse off salt and slush that tires bring in from treated streets.
• Keep downspouts and gutters draining away from the slab edges.
• Fill cracks early so water does not get under the slab and soften the clay below.