Concrete Driveways in Wilmington, DE

Concrete driveways in Wilmington take more abuse than most people realize. Through the winter they freeze and thaw over and over, get shoveled and plowed, and soak up salt that cars track in from the street. Many of the driveways we look at in the Brandywine valley suburbs were poured decades ago, and in the city a lot of off-street parking is a small pad behind a rowhome, reached from the alley. Whether it is a two-car drive in Brandywine Hundred or a single pad off an alley in the Highlands, the way it is built decides how long it lasts.

Signs it is time to replace your driveway

• Cracks wider than about a quarter inch, or cracks that keep growing and shifting
• Slabs that have sunk or tipped, especially near the garage or the street
• Large areas of scaling, where the surface has flaked off and the stone shows
• Water that pools on the driveway or runs toward the house
• A section heaved up by tree roots
• Crumbling edges where the slab was poured too thin

HomeGuide's leveling guide notes that cracks over a quarter inch, significant spalling and severe deterioration usually mean replacement is the better long-term choice. If only one or two slabs are bad, we may be able to replace just those sections.

How we build a driveway

We remove the old driveway and haul it away. Then we dig to the right depth, correct the grade so water runs away from the house and garage, and lay a compacted stone base. Forms go in, and so does reinforcement where it is needed. The concrete is an air-entrained mix, which holds tiny air bubbles that give freezing water room to expand. HomeGuide's driveway guide gives 4 inches as the minimum for passenger cars, 5 to 6 inches for heavier vehicles, and 6 to 8 inches at the edges. We thicken the edges and the apron, where tires roll on and off and where the slab is weakest.

After the pour, the surface gets a broom finish for traction on icy mornings. Control joints are cut or tooled in a planned pattern so the shrinkage cracks every slab develops form in straight lines inside the joints instead of wandering across the middle.

Aprons, curb cuts and alley pads

The apron is the part of the driveway between the street and the sidewalk, and it usually sits in the public right-of-way. Replacing it or adding a new curb cut is the kind of work that typically needs approval from the city or county. We check what is required for your address before we schedule. For rowhome parking pads off an alley, we pay close attention to how water drains toward the alley and away from the back wall of the house.

Options for the surface

• Broom finish: the standard, with good grip in winter.
• Exposed aggregate: the top layer is washed off to show the stone, which hides dirt and adds texture.
• Stamped or colored borders: a plain center with a patterned edge, or a full stamped driveway.
• Widening: an extra lane or a turnaround added to an existing driveway.

  Get a Free Estimate

Caring for a new driveway

Keep cars off it until we tell you it is ready, usually about a week, and keep heavy trucks off longer. During the first winter, do not use rock salt. Shovel early and use sand for traction. Once the concrete has cured for about a month, a penetrating sealer helps keep water and salt out; plan to reseal every few years. Fill any cracks that open up before water can get in and freeze.