With proper care and maintenance, you can keep your exposed concrete driveway in good shape at all times.  Among all the materials, concrete is often the most preferred material for a driveway as it is highly durable. But even so, the driveway can form cracks, and even break apart, which is why you need to make sure that you take adequate care of it so that it lasts longer. Check out some of the top tips posted below for taking care of your exposed concrete driveway easily.

Curing:

Once you have installed an exposed concrete driveway, do keep it wet for some days to cure the concrete. And stay away from it and do not allow any traffic or people on it until it fully sets. Also make sure that you wet the concrete regularly, so as to ensure that the concrete retains enough moisture as it ‘cures’ and does not crack in the process. Above all keep heavy items off the new concrete for a period of one month or slightly longer, for obvious reasons.

Sealing:

You need to use sealant on your exposed concrete driveway to both protect it from the natural elements as well as to prevent it from direct damage to exposure to chemicals. If you happen to reside in a snowy region, then chances are that the local roadways and construction dept seeds the local roads with salt, magnesium and even sand. All of these can damage your concrete driveway which is why you need to use sealants to protect the same.

Oil spots:

Chances are that your brand new driveway may already have a few oil leaks; most vehicles will leak oil and these oil spots can spoil the beautiful appearance of your concrete driveway and these oil spots will soon accumulate dust and other particulates leading to a more ungainly ‘look’. The good news is that you can use commercial de-greaser, water, and a heavy-duty brush and get this cleaned up in no time at all. Just make sure that you clean it the moment you spot the oil spot (no pun intended), since a delay may cause the oil to bond more firmly with the concrete, and as a result be much harder to get rid of.

Ice melting products:

During the winter season, you come across many ice melting products that are supposed to melt all the snow in the driveway automatically. You need to avoid such products as it can damage your brand new driveway or it can lead to permanent water damage and cause your driveway to develop cracks in the process. A better option would be to hire a professional who is experienced enough to remove all the snow from the driveway manually.

Moving Vans:

When you parking a car or any other heavy vehicle in the driveway, you need to be very careful. Please remember that your driveway is only meant for light traffic and heavy load vehicles or vans will stress out your driveway, and cause it to buckle and even damage it permanently.

These are some of the tips that you need to follow in order to take better care of your new driveway. And as long as you take care of your driveway, you should be able to get much more out of it and make it last much longer. Also remember, that when installing a new driveway, you need to take adequate care as the concrete tends to crack while it is curing or setting up which is why it makes more sense to take the professional help to get it installed effectively.