Concrete Repair & Resurfacing in Tucson, AZ

Concrete repair and resurfacing can bring a cracked, sunken or faded slab back for a fraction of what replacement costs, as long as the concrete underneath is sound. In Tucson, where much of the housing went up between the 1950s and the 1980s, a lot of driveways, patios and walks are decades old. People searching for concrete overlays, concrete staining and concrete coatings in Tucson are usually trying to answer one question: can this be fixed, or does it have to go?

Repair or replace?

HomeGuide's resurfacing guide gives a useful rule. Resurfacing or repair suits minor flaking and cracks under a quarter inch wide. Cracks wider than a quarter inch usually point to problems below the surface that an overlay will not fix, and large cracks, crumbling, spalling or structural damage call for replacement. If an overlay would need to be more than 2 inches thick, replacement is the better choice.

We look at the slab in person, find the cause of the damage, and give you the repair price and the replacement price side by side when both are realistic.

Cracks

Hairline cracks are normal in concrete. Wider cracks, or cracks that keep growing, let water reach the base, and in a monsoon storm that water can wash out soil and lead to settling. We clean out and fill active cracks with flexible material so they stay sealed as the concrete moves. HomeGuide lists crack filling at about $0.50 to $3 per linear foot.

Sunken sections

A section that has dropped can often be raised instead of replaced. HomeGuide's leveling guide describes two methods: mudjacking, which pumps a cement-based slurry under the slab, and polyjacking, which injects expanding foam through smaller holes. The same guide lists soil erosion, poor compaction and moisture as the usual reasons slabs sink, and warns that leveling without fixing a drainage problem can lead to resettling. So we also look at where the water is coming from, such as a downspout, a drip line or storm runoff, and fix that too.

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Overlays

An overlay is a thin layer of cement and polymer resin bonded over existing concrete. HomeGuide describes overlays from 1/32 inch to 2 inches thick. They can cover worn or stained concrete with a fresh plain surface, a spray texture, or a stamped pattern that looks like stone. On a sound slab, an overlay can make an old patio, walk or pool surround look new. HomeGuide puts the life of a resurfaced surface at about 8 to 15 years before repairs are needed.

Stains, color and sealing

Sound concrete that just looks tired can be cleaned, stained and sealed. Stains give a mottled, natural color that suits desert homes, and a sealer protects the color from sun and staining. For surfaces that are walked on barefoot or near a pool, we add grit to the sealer for grip.