Maintaining your honed/polished concrete driveway
Both honed or polished concrete for your driveway are fantastic options for aesthetic styling and practical value options. For the best of both worlds, however, we highly advise some simple methodologies for keeping your concrete driveways looking as good and functioning as well as possible.
Benefits of Simple Concrete Driveway Maintenance
Avoid Stains
Accidents are guaranteed to happen and when it comes to a honed or polished concrete driveway which is exposed to the elements, cars, and a lot of other activity even more so. Following some basic driveway maintenance tips can help you prevent and avoid permanent staining of your otherwise spectacular looking concrete driveway.
Protection
Extreme weather can damage your property in a lot of ways. Despite the hardiness and durability of concrete, it is not 100% immune to absolutely everything and anything. Keeping your concrete driveway properly cared for, however, will mitigate the risk of damage regardless of what Mother Nature has to throw at it.
Longevity
Did you know that with the proper tender love and care, polished and honed concrete driveways can last between 25 and 30 years? While the effort and cost of ongoing maintenance is minimal, it’s even more of an affordable way to lengthen the life of your driveway and derive greater return on your concrete investment.
5 Tips for Maintaining Your Driveway
Here are our top 5 tips for maintaining your honed concrete or polished concrete driveway.
Clean Stains As Soon As Possible
If your car engine leaks oil or your child spills something, or even if fungus, weather, and rust starts to cause staining, try to remove the stains as soon as possible. Not only is it easier to clean up the fresher it is, but it is less likely to cause permanent or long-term staining. Remember to blot any liquid spills rather than wiping them and thereby spreading the stain even further.
Avoid Harsh Chemical Overuse
Harsh chemical cleaning solutions can cause more damage than stain-relief. Clean, warm, and soapy water is often strong enough to do the job but if you have a particular stain you need to get out of your concrete, make sure that you don’t overuse harsh chemicals that could potentially further damage the driveway.
Reseal
When your concrete driveway is installed, it is most definitely sealed. This seal however erodes over time. Depending on the particular application and the amount of traffic it endures, you might need to consider resealing the concrete every 2 to 5 years. As mentioned above, the relatively minimal cost of this maintenance strategy more than pays for itself in the ongoing durability of concrete.
Prevent Cracks
Preventing cracks in your concrete isn’t as hard as it sounds. Avoid dropping heavy objects and machinery for one thing. Resealing (as mentioned above) will also go a long way to ensuring the structural integrity of your concrete driveway is maintained. While cracks are repairable, it’s always easier and cheaper to aim for prevention instead.
Keep It Clean
Keeping your driveway clean and tidy does more than just ensure the front of your home looks great. It can actually make a huge difference in preventing stains and cracks. Everything from mould to dirt, and wet leaf accumulation to grime can cause staining and damage. By engaging in regular cleans and tidy ups, you can avoid all of this without too much hassle.
Want to explore concrete driveways for your home? Call Designer Floors!
For a cost-free, obligation-free, and stress-free measure and quote for a brand new or repaired polished/honed concrete driveway, make sure to give us a call right here at Designer Floors!