Repair or Replace: How to Tell What Your Driveway Actually Needs

The single most expensive concrete decision a homeowner can get wrong is replacing a driveway that should have been repaired — or repairing one that should have been replaced. The first wastes $8,000 to $20,000. The second wastes the $1,500 you spent on repair plus the full replacement cost two years later when the patches fail.

Here's the framework we use to decide on every site visit, broken down into the five questions that determine the answer.

The 5-question checklist

Score yes/no on each. Three or more yeses tips the decision toward replacement.

1. Is the slab more than 25 years old? Concrete cured in the early 2000s or before often used lower air-entrainment specs that don't survive Missouri winters as well. By year 25, even good concrete is at the end of its design life.
2. Are cracks wider than 1/4 inch? Hairline cracks (under 1/16") are sealable. 1/8" cracks indicate active stress. Anything over 1/4" usually means the sub-base has failed.
3. Has the slab heaved or settled visibly? A 1-inch+ vertical mismatch at a joint is the soil under the slab telling you something major has shifted. Repair won't fix the root cause.
4. Is spalling covering more than 30% of the surface? Edge spalling on 10% of the slab is repairable. Surface scaling across most of the driveway is structural.
5. Is the sub-base compromised? If we can see voids under slab edges, water pooling under control joints, or settlement around the apron, the sub-base is gone and a new slab on the same base will fail the same way.

Crack width thresholds — when sealing works, when it doesn't

Crack Width	Treatment	Expected Life After Treatment
Hairline (under 1/16")	Topical sealer, no fill needed	5-10 years if sealed regularly
1/16" to 1/8"	Polyurethane crack sealant	5-7 years
1/8" to 1/4"	Routed-and-sealed (V-cut + flexible filler)	3-5 years
1/4" to 1/2"	Mortar repair + sealant; usually needs underlying cause addressed	2-4 years
Over 1/2"	Likely sub-base failure — replacement is usually more cost-effective	N/A

Mudjacking vs polyurethane lifting vs full replacement

If your slab has settled (one section sitting lower than another), three options exist:

Mudjacking ($3-$6 per sq ft of lifted area)

Holes drilled in the slab; a cement slurry pumped under to push the slab back up. Old-school, reliable, leaves visible patch holes. Works well for outdoor slabs where appearance is secondary.

Polyurethane foam lifting ($6-$12 per sq ft)

Same idea, but with expanding polyurethane foam injected through smaller holes. Twice the cost, half the cure time (you can drive on it same day), nearly invisible patches. Our preferred method when slab condition supports it.

Full sectional replacement ($12-$20 per sq ft)

The settled section is saw-cut out, sub-base re-prepped, new concrete poured to match. Best when settlement is severe, lifting won't address sub-base voids, or the slab is at the end of its life anyway.

Resurfacing — when it's a real fix vs a cosmetic patch

Resurfacing applies a 1/4" to 1/2" overlay of modified concrete over an existing slab. It's appropriate when:

• The structural slab below is sound (no major cracks, no settlement)
• You want a cosmetic refresh — staining, stamping over the overlay, color change
• Surface damage is limited to spalling, scaling, or wear

It's the wrong fix when:

• The slab has heaved or is actively cracking (overlay will crack right above the existing crack within 6 months)
• The driveway is on bad sub-base (overlay adds weight, doesn't fix the support)
• The existing slab is contaminated with oil or sealer that won't bond properly

A good contractor will tell you when resurfacing is the wrong call. A bad contractor will sell it anyway because it's a high-margin job.

The 10-year ROI: replace vs repair math

Sample: 600 sq ft driveway, currently 18 years old, moderate cracking and 15% edge spalling.

Path	Year 1 Cost	Year 5 Likely Cost	Year 10 Likely Cost	10-Year Total
Repair only	$2,500	$1,800 (re-repair + reseal)	$10,500 (replace)	$14,800
Replace now	$10,500	$300 (reseal)	$300 (reseal)	$11,100

For driveways nearing end-of-life, replacement usually wins on 10-year cost. For drives with 10-15 years of life remaining, repair is the smarter spend.

What we look for during a free assessment

When we come out for a free driveway evaluation, we check:

• Slab age (you can usually tell within 5 years from finish style and reinforcement visible at edges)
• Crack pattern and width — measuring at multiple points, not just the obvious ones
• Joint condition — sealant integrity, joint heave
• Sub-base indicators — voids under edges, water pooling, apron settlement
• Drainage — where the water goes when it rains, splash patterns from downspouts
• Apron condition and city code compliance for any apron work

You get a written assessment with our recommendation, the estimated cost of each viable path, and the expected remaining life under each. No pressure to pick anything that day.