The One Question That Decides It
Is the slab still structurally sound? If yes, repair usually buys you years at a fraction of replacement cost. If no, repair money is wasted — you are patching a slab that is going to keep failing. Here is how to tell.
Repair Usually Works When…
- Hairline and minor cracks. Thin cracks that have not shifted — one side is not higher than the other — are cosmetic. They can be sealed and monitored.
- One settled section. A single slab that has sunk an inch or two can often be lifted back into place (mudjacking or polyjacking) without touching the rest.
- Surface spalling in spots. Small areas where the surface is flaking can be patched or resurfaced if the concrete underneath is solid.
- Stains and discoloration. Ugly is not broken. Cleaning, resurfacing, or sealing fixes ugly.
Replace When…
- Cracks everywhere. A spiderweb of cracks across multiple slabs means the slab is moving as a whole — the base or the soil failed, and patching the surface does not fix what is underneath.
- Heaving and rocking. Slabs that rock when you drive over them, or sections lifted inches above their neighbors, have lost their base. There is nothing solid left to repair.
- Deep spalling across the slab. Surface flaking over large areas usually means the mix was wrong or never air-entrained — a material problem, not a maintenance problem.
- Drainage failure. Water pooling against the garage or running toward the house because the slab settled wrong. Regrading means re-pouring.
- Repairs already failed. If it has been patched twice and keeps cracking in the same places, the slab is telling you something.
The Money Math
Repairs typically run hundreds to a few thousand dollars. Full replacement lands in the $5,000 to $15,000 range for most Fairfax driveways. If repairs would cost more than about a third of replacement — and the slab is marginal — replacement is usually the smarter money.
Not Sure? Get Eyes on It
Send us the form and we will come look. We will tell you straight whether your driveway is a repair candidate or a replacement — including when the honest answer is "repair it and save your money."