A calendar built on turning points
This calendar does not run month by month. It follows the points in the year when concrete care changes: the last mild days before hard cold, the stretch when snow and ice need clearing, the thaw, the first warm days, the hottest weeks and the season of falling leaves. Under each, pick the lines that match the surfaces at your house.
Before the first hard freeze
- Fill open cracks and gaps at joints with a flexible filler made for concrete, following the label for temperature limits.
- Clean out gutters and check that every downspout empties onto ground that slopes away from slabs and the foundation.
- Pull soil or mulch back to fill any low spot along a slab edge, then tamp it so water runs away instead of under.
- If someone will plow or blow snow for you, set tall markers along the driveway edges.
- Read the label of any melt product you plan to buy, and ask your installer which ones they would keep off a newer slab.
While there is snow and ice to clear
- Clear walks and the driveway before foot and tire traffic packs the snow into ice.
- Use a plastic shovel or a rubber-edged blade on decorative or sealed finishes.
- Pile cleared snow where its meltwater can drain away from the slab and the house.
- Use sand for grip where you want traction without a chemical.
- Note any spot where meltwater sits and refreezes, so you can look at the slope later.
When the ground thaws
- Walk every surface and photograph each crack with the date, so later photos can show whether it has grown.
- Look for a section that now sits higher or lower than its neighbor, enough to catch a toe.
- Check edges for soil that has washed out from underneath.
- Sweep up sand and grit, then rinse the slab with a garden hose.
- Look at the joint where the garage floor meets the driveway for widening.
Early warm weather
- Wash the patio and walks with water and a stiff brush; test any cleaner in a hidden corner first.
- Pull weeds and grass from joints, then refill the joints where filler has gone missing.
- Check steps for chipped edges and test any handrail post set in concrete.
- On a sealed surface, pour a cupful of water and watch for a minute. Beads that sit on top suggest the coat is still working; a dark patch that spreads may mean it is wearing thin, which is a good time to call the installer about recoating.
The hottest weeks
- Put a mat under the grill and saucers under planters so grease and rust do not stain the slab.
- Rinse spilled fertilizer, pool chemicals or lawn treatments off the concrete the same day.
- Keep loaded trailers, dumpsters and moving trucks off a walk or patio that may not have been built for them, or spread the weight on thick boards.
- If you are planning a new pour, ask the contractor how they handle a hot, windy pour day and how they will keep the slab damp while it cures.
Leaf fall
- Sweep or blow leaves off before they mat down and leave tannin stains.
- Lift oil drips in the garage and on the driveway with an absorbent, then scrub with a cleaner sold for concrete.
- Recheck downspout extensions after yard work, since they can get knocked out of place.
Sealing: whether and when
Sealer is a choice, not a fixed rule. Some products soak into the surface and barely change its look; others leave a coating you can see, sometimes glossy, sometimes darker, and that coating can turn slick underfoot when it gets wet. Ask the person who poured your slab which kind, if any, they would put on it, how long fresh concrete should wait first, and whether a new product can go over whatever is there now.
Small fixes worth trying yourself
- Refilling joints and hairline cracks with a flexible filler.
- Removing fresh stains with an absorbent and a concrete cleaner.
- Regrading soil along an edge so it falls away from the slab.
- Moving a downspout outlet so it no longer empties onto a walk.
Leave anything involving lifting, cutting or patching a broken section to a contractor.
When it is time for a contractor's eye
- a crack that has widened or lengthened between two of your dated photos;
- one edge of a crack standing proud of the other;
- a section that moves when you step on it;
- a slab that has settled until rain runs back toward the foundation;
- a top layer that is flaking off in patches that get bigger each season;
- a widening gap between the steps and the porch or the house wall.
The city's permit-exempt list, and a repair
Manhattan's list of work exempt from a building permit includes painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops and similar finish work, and sidewalks and driveways.
Whether a particular repair, such as replacing a section of driveway, rebuilding steps or patching where a slab meets the street, needs a permit or another city approval is a question for the contractor and for the city's Risk Reduction office.
Asking about a repair
- What is behind this damage, in your view, and does the repair you are offering deal with that?
- Is this a job for a patch, for lifting the section, for a new top layer or for tearing it out and pouring again, and what tips the choice?
- What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?
- Does this repair need a permit or any city approval, and who would request it?
- Before work starts, will you send proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation?
- Is the repair covered by a written warranty, and what are its length and exclusions?
Records worth holding on to
Start a file for the concrete around your house, either a paper envelope or a phone album. For each surface, jot down the installer's name and the pour date, any thickness or reinforcement details you were given, the dates you sealed it and with what, and the receipts. Add the dated crack and stain photos from the calendar. It can give the next contractor a starting point, and it can be handed to a buyer if you sell the house.