"tenplay" wrote in message
news
We will be selling our 28 year old home in Washington in a few months. The
concrete driveway leading from the street to our 3 car garage has some
cracks and gaps through which weeds tend to grow. Is there a faster and
less expensive way to make it more presentable than replacing the whole
driveway? Someone suggested having a layer of asphalt applied by an
asphalt contractor. Is that a good solution? Thanks for any advice or
suggestions.

They make a product called PourStone, but it also goes by other names. It
looks just like flour, and mixes with water. You want it runny like pancake
batter.

Clean out the cracks, with a blower, RoundUp, screwdriver, power washer,
just get it clean. I'd put some RoundUp in the cracks just to keep down
future weed growth, then wash it in a bit so the slurry patch will stick to
the concrete.

Mix the PourStone about as much as a milkshake at a time. It sets fast, and
you don't want to mix any more than you can use at one time. Pour it right
in the crack. If it only fills it half way up, that's okay, because you let
it sit for half an hour to an hour, then the next run will make it flush
with the surface.

Try to fill it up, but not overfill. Like drywall mud, when it dries, the
surface will drop a little. Don't try to use a putty knife on it to get it
flat, or it will look like paint smears where it gets on the old concrete.
Just let it flow into the cracks and follow them on its own.

This stuff will look lighter than the concrete color, but if put in
properly, will make a nice patch that will look a whole lot better than what
you got now. I've used it to install wrought iron railings in core drilled
holes, fill cracks, fill holes where you cut off pipes, etc. It's good
stuff, just go easy so you don't end up throwing any away. When you empty
the mixing can (use a coffee can), add a little water, and make a thin
slurry which you then use as the bottom layer in any crack.

If you really want it to match your concrete, get some colored sand the same
as your concrete. When you pour the slurry in and the crack's full, dribble
some sand on top and let it dry without touching it. When dry in a few
hours, wash off the excess sand. It'll be pretty close to your concrete
color if you've picked the right sand.

Let us know how it works. I've used this stuff a lot and it's real handy,
tho there's a couple of tricks. Mix it thin, and don't mix too much at
once.

Steve