Troubleshooting reference
Start with symptoms, rule out homeowner-safe basics, and escalate conservatively when safety, structure, utility service, or water damage is involved.
Call soon
Fresh slab cracks within days or cracks widen quickly
Likely causes
- No control joints or late saw-cutting
- Improper water-cement ratio
- Poor subbase compaction
Homeowner-safe check
Photograph crack width with a ruler; do not fill until movement pattern is understood.
When to call
Call soon if cracks are offset, widening, or crossing structural/foundation work.
Call soon
Driveway or walk has trip hazards from heaving or settlement
Likely causes
- Freeze-thaw movement
- Tree roots
- Washed-out base or poor drainage
Homeowner-safe check
Mark the hazard and improve drainage where obvious; grinding has limits on large offsets.
When to call
Call if offset exceeds about 1/2 inch, public sidewalk is involved, or drainage is active.
Routine
Concrete surface dusts, scales, or flakes
Likely causes
- Finishing while bleed water was present
- Deicing salt damage
- Freeze exposure before cure
Homeowner-safe check
Sweep gently and avoid salts; sealers help only if the substrate is sound.
When to call
Call routinely for surface-hardener, overlay, or replacement assessment.
Call soon
Water ponds on a patio, garage slab, or driveway
Likely causes
- Incorrect slope
- Settled subbase
- Blocked drain or downspout discharge
Homeowner-safe check
Clear drains and redirect downspouts; do not add thin patch in a ponding area without prep.
When to call
Call if water flows toward the house, garage, steps, or foundation.
Call soon
Spalling exposes aggregate or rebar
Likely causes
- Corrosion of reinforcement
- Low cover over steel
- Salt and moisture intrusion
Homeowner-safe check
Keep the area dry and avoid hammering loose sections that may be structural.
When to call
Call soon when steel is exposed, edges are unsupported, or the slab carries vehicles/structure.
Routine
Stamped concrete color fades or sealer turns white
Likely causes
- UV wear
- Moisture trapped under sealer
- Wrong sealer thickness or product
Homeowner-safe check
Avoid adding more sealer until trapped moisture and compatibility are checked.
When to call
Call routinely for strip-and-reseal if whitening or peeling is widespread.
Call soon
New pour is rained on, frozen, or not curing
Likely causes
- Weather protection failure
- Curing compound missed
- Mix temperature too low/high
Homeowner-safe check
Do not drive or load the slab early; document weather and contractor curing steps.
When to call
Call the contractor immediately to document cure and warranty implications.
Call soon
Garage slab cracks around drains or columns
Likely causes
- Stress concentration
- Subbase void
- Poor isolation around penetrations
Homeowner-safe check
Measure and monitor; avoid epoxy coating until structural movement is ruled out.
When to call
Call if cracks are offset, radiate from supports, or water enters through them.
Call soon
Concrete steps or porch edges crumble
Likely causes
- Salt attack
- Thin patch failure
- Freeze-thaw saturated concrete
Homeowner-safe check
Keep traffic off loose edges and avoid cosmetic patching over unsound concrete.
When to call
Call soon if handrails, landings, or entry stairs are affected.
Routine
Concrete quote omits reinforcement, base depth, or joint spacing
Likely causes
- Scope too vague
- Contractor cutting prep cost
- No plan for soil/drainage conditions
Homeowner-safe check
Ask for written section detail before signing; price alone is not comparable without prep specs.
When to call
Call another contractor if they refuse to specify thickness, base, reinforcement, joints, and cure.
Maintenance schedule
Seasonal tasks
Spring
- After thaw, mark new heaves, open control joints, and downspouts that dump water across slabs or steps.
Summer
- In summer, wash salt and fertilizer residue from driveways before it concentrates in saw cuts and porch edges.
Fall
- Before winter, seal appropriate exterior slabs after the cure window and avoid storing deicing salt on concrete surfaces.
Winter
- During freeze-thaw cycles, keep snowmelt from refreezing at steps, garage aprons, and low patio corners.
Interval tasks
Monthly
- Monthly, note crack width, spalled edges, exposed rebar, and ponding spots with photos taken from the same angle.
Annual
- Yearly, inspect caulked isolation joints at the house, garage, pool deck, and stoops so water cannot undermine the slab.
Every few years
- Every few years, reassess drainage, tree-root pressure, surface sealer condition, and whether patching is masking base failure.
Cost components
Labor
Site labor is built from excavation, forming, base compaction, reinforcement, pour crew size, finishing time, saw-cutting, curing protection, demolition, and haul-off. The expensive unknowns are forming, excavation, base correction, reinforcement placement, finish timing, curing, and access for trucks or pumps.
Materials
Do not lump ready-mix design, rebar or mesh, base stone, forms, dowels, curing compound, sealers, and joint materials with ordinary supplies such as gravel base, vapor barrier, rebar or mesh, ready-mix, admixtures, curing compound, sealers, expansion material, and patch products.
Permits and inspections
Permit planning matters most for driveway aprons, sidewalks, structural slabs, curb work, right-of-way work, and drainage changes may. Inspection corrections should not be a surprise charge.
Broad range discipline
Bids move most at a small patch, a flatwork replacement, and structural or decorative concrete. Small patching is low-to-mid; driveways, patios, and garage slabs are major material/labor jobs; structural or right-of-way work has wider permit and prep exposure.
What moves price
Pushes price up
- Demolition and haul-off; added cost is usually tied to forming
- Poor access for trucks/pumps; added cost is usually tied to excavation
- Reinforcement or thickened edges; added cost is usually tied to base correction
- Cold/hot weather protection; added cost is usually tied to reinforcement placement
Can reduce price
- Simple rectangular forms; lower pricing is likelier when ready-mix design is clearly defined
- Good truck access; lower pricing is likelier when rebar or mesh is clearly defined
- Stable subgrade and drainage; lower pricing is likelier when base stone is clearly defined
- Flexible scheduling around weather; lower pricing is likelier when forms is clearly defined
Hiring red flags
- Scope notes blur base depth or compaction treated as a guess even though it drives safety and callbacks.
- The bid has no inspection step for control-joint spacing before the pour day.
- The job is cheaper only because reinforcement, permits, or drainage corrections is pushed outside the record.
- Guarantee language fails to name scaling, salt damage, color variation, and crack expectations or the callback path.
- No written thickness, base depth, reinforcement, joint spacing, or curing plan.
- Wants to pour over unstable old concrete without explaining bond/base.
- Promises concrete will never crack.
- No plan for runoff, permits, or public sidewalk/drive apron rules.
Contract checklist
- Concrete thickness, PSI mix, air entrainment, reinforcement, base stone, and vapor barrier where needed with brands, sizes, locations, and exclusions.
- Excavation depth, compaction method, form elevations, drainage slope, and spoil hauling before work starts, including who schedules inspections.
- Control-joint layout, saw-cut timing, isolation joints, finish texture, and curing method for access, protection, cleanup, and disposal.
- Weather limits, cold or hot weather additives, protection, access route, and washout location as unit pricing or written allowances.
- Unit prices for extra base, failed subgrade, thickened edges, dowels, drains, and sealer; close the job with photos, manuals, registration receipts, and lien documents.
- Dimensions, thickness, base material/depth, reinforcement, control/expansion joint layout.
- Concrete mix strength, air entrainment, admixtures, finish texture, and sealer.
- Demolition, haul-off, grading, drainage, and restoration of lawn/landscape.
- Weather limits, curing method, opening-to-traffic timing, and protection responsibility.
- Permit/right-of-way responsibilities and inspection hold points.
Warranty norms
Concrete warranties rarely promise no cracks; they usually address workmanship failures such as severe scaling, wrong thickness, drainage mistakes, or settlement tied to documented base prep. Salt exposure, tree roots, ground movement, heavy vehicles, and hairline shrinkage are commonly excluded.