Concrete driveway repair in Toronto & the GTA

Most cracked driveways can be repaired. Hairline and surface cracks are routine repair work. What can't be repaired is a driveway where sections have settled at different heights, or where the slab is broken clean through. That means the base underneath has failed, and any repair on top will crack again in the same place. A quick test: if you can feel a step between the two sides of a crack, it's likely structural. If it's flat across, it's likely surface.

Localised repairs typically run $3,000 to $6,000. Resurfacing a full driveway usually lands between $8,000 and $16,000 depending on size and system. Full replacement is generally $15,000 to $26,000. All before HST, and all dependent on size, access and condition. Text us three photos and you'll have a written figure for your driveway within one business day.

Repair is considerably cheaper in the short term, often a third of the cost of replacement. The real question is whether repair will hold. On a driveway with a sound base, repair and resurfacing is far better value and buys you another decade or two. On one where the base has failed, repair is money spent twice, because the same problem resurfaces within a season or two. That's the assessment we do first, and we'll tell you honestly which situation you're in.

Localised repairs are usually one to two days on site. A full resurfacing is typically two to three days. Full replacement runs three to five days depending on size and how much demolition is involved. Curing time comes after that, and we give you specific dates for walking on it and parking on it.

It depends on the work. Crack repairs and patching are usually ready for vehicles within a day or two. A resurfaced driveway needs longer for the new surface to fully cure, and new concrete longer still. Concrete keeps gaining strength for weeks after a pour, and driving on it too early is one of the most common ways a good driveway gets damaged in its first month. We give you exact dates rather than general advice.

A spot repair rarely matches perfectly. New concrete cures a different shade to concrete that's been weathering for fifteen years. That's why we often recommend repairing and then resurfacing the whole area. It costs more, but you get one uniform surface rather than a driveway with obvious patches. If matching isn't a concern for you, repair alone is the cheaper route and we'll say so.

Yes, provided the slab underneath is structurally sound. Resurfacing bonds a new wearing surface over the existing concrete after repairs are made. Graniflex carries a 10 year warranty and a concrete overlay carries 3 years. It costs roughly half of a full replacement and the finished result looks like a new driveway. It won't work where the base has settled, because the new surface will crack along the same lines as the old one.

Exterior concrete work runs from roughly April through November in the GTA, when temperatures stay reliably above freezing through the curing period. Cold weather work is possible with blankets and mix adjustments, but it costs more and carries more risk. If waiting until spring is the better call, we'll tell you rather than take the job.

We assess them, yes. Heaving and settlement are base problems rather than surface problems, and the honest answer is often that the affected section needs removing and repouring rather than lifting or patching. Where only one section has failed, we can sometimes replace that and resurface the rest so it reads as one driveway. Photos taken low down along the surface show us the drop clearly.

Repairs and resurfacing generally don't require a permit. Full replacement can, particularly if you're changing the width, the curb cut or the drainage. We've worked within City of Toronto and GTA permit requirements for years and will tell you during the assessment whether yours needs one.