Do concrete driveways require maintenance in NC? (new house, buy)

[Universe93B]

I always thought you should put a concrete sealer on the driveways, to repel water, dirt, etc. But I live next to a bunch of NJ/NY people and they laughed at me and said "You don't need to seal the driveways down here, there's hardly any freezing." So I guess I would just come on here and ask if I need to do this.

I have a 2 year old concrete driveway and was thinking of pressure-washing it this Spring and putting a concrete sealer on it. Which type of concrete sealer should I use and what brand do you recommend? Can I just do this myself with a sprayer or roller? I remember asking a Lowe's customer rep one time on why they don't have any concrete sealers in stock and his reply was, "People don't think concrete needs maintenance and they never buy anything, so we don't carry that stuff."

[poppydog]

I don't think it's necessary for the life of the concrete. My driveway is 45 years old and still fine. If you like the look, though, go for it.

[snatale1]

Concrete can absolutely stain and a sealer will keep it looking younger, longer. Does it NEED it? Nope, but to get the most out of it, it's inexpensive enough to do. Not sure what the NY/NJ people were thinking (nothing) but sealing has nothing to do with freezing.

[wizard-xyzzy]

My concrete driveway is 33 years old. No maintenance except a power washing every few years. Beware, though, that rapid growth of trees near your driveway can cause a slab to heave up.

[bingocat1000]

Concrete driveways will need maintenance eventually (they're supposed to last about 30 years). I wouldn't really worry about maintaining a two year old concrete driveway.

[Poggly Woggly]

My concrete driveway is almost 60. It gets full sun, and drains well with the slope. It has never had any sealants or even power washed that I know of. It has a few cracks in it now, but I'm going to let the next guy worry about that.

[VickiR]

My driveway is 26 years old. Only thing we've done is to have it power washed. It looks great except for the one place that the large tree root grew and pushed it up a bit. Not enough to worry about it. It does have a small crack that hubby filled. Filling the crack makes sense although it did make it look more noticeable. Thanks, hubby.

Concrete is either cracked or will crack.

Would putting a sealer on it make it slippery?

[Waterboy526]

I have a couple little spots where my concrete driveway is already spalling/flaking after only 4 years in a new house. I have power washed it a couple times already. I think proper maintenance and sealing wouldn't be a bad idea. I think one of the issues is that it never gets full sun and there is a lot of moisture that runs under it apparently. That has been helped by adding better drainage around my property, but it hasn't totally mitigated the issue.

[Starglow]

Originally Posted by VickiR

Concrete is either cracked or will crack.

This.

With all the clay soil types, poor water drainage, and many trees around here, most sidewalks and driveways will eventually develop cracks over time. I had several new slabs of concrete poured in 1996 and they all now have developed cracks...even with one slab being 6 inches thick with wire mesh and rebar in it.

It's what goes on underneath as well as on top that determines the lifespan of a concrete slab. Proper base preparation and expansion joint location when the concrete is poured is critical for long life in addition to the grade of concrete used for the slab. Very heavy trucks or construction equipment driven over a sidewalk or driveway can also cause cracks to develop.