How to Redo a Concrete Driveway

Angle a jackhammer into any cracks to divide the slab into large sections, and then break them down into smaller chunks with a sledgehammer. Use a shovel and pry bar to remove the chunks into a dumpster.

Dig out the gravel foundation beneath the concrete with a shovel. Dump the gravel onto a large tarp a few feet away from the site so it doesn’t fall back in.

Continue digging the foundation until all of the topsoil is removed, or it’s at least a foot deep. Dig down another inch with every 4 feet of length to pitch the driveway toward the street for drainage.

Run a vibrating plate compactor over the bottom of the foundation. Roll geotextile fabric over the compacted dirt to reinforce the base.

Shovel the gravel you removed from the old driveway into the expanse in two 4-inch thick layers. Compact the gravel between each layer until the rocks wedge together and feel hard under your feet. Lay wire mesh across to support the slab.

Set lengths of rebar about a foot in from the sides and across the center. Place them on rebar chairs so they run through the center of the slab instead of through the bottom. Check with your municipality for the precise spacing of rebar. Rebar chairs are risers, typically made of metal or rigid plastic, designed to lift the rebar so it runs through the center of a concrete slab instead of the bottom. One way to keep the rebar from falling from the chair as the concrete is poured is to snap them into place with metal or plastic bands.

Line the inner perimeter with 2-by-6-inch form boards and screw the boards together with a drill.

Mix concrete in a concrete mixer, using just enough water to make it thick and spreadable. Pour it on the site beginning at the end near the street, and use a gauge rake to spread it over the full surface. Drag a screed board across the wet concrete to make it level with the forms. Follow this with a squeegee to smooth out any high and low areas.

Wait about two hours for the slab to begin to set. Cut a grid of control joints through it with a trowel, spaced, in feet, two to three times the slab's thickness. The depth of the cut should be about one-quarter as deep as the slab. Control joints are planned cracks that enable concrete to shrink and expand with temperature changes, preventing jagged cracks from forming.

Slowly dry the new slab by laying moist, breathable fabric over top and spraying it with water for about a week. Seal it with pure acrylic sealant with a spray pump.