Some common reasons for concrete paver cracking.

Cracks are a very common household problem that can be in almost any form of concrete or asphalt surface. Whether the cracking is immediate or has occurred over years after it was poured, you can use concrete crack filler to fill the gaps and joints of the surface. However some of the concrete cracks are inevitable. Below are some of the reasons why concrete paver cracks.

1. Sawing timing: The saw contraction joints in new pavements must be done on optimum time which represents a short period after the placement of concrete so that the cut can be successful without any cracking.
2. Saw cut depth: The saw cut depth on the joint’s occurrence of early cracking primarily depends on the time of the sawing which may result in raveling along the cut. Deeper saw cuts are essential because the concrete is generally under more restraint. Early sawing of the joints may require lesser saw-cut depth preventing random cracking.
3. Weather and ambient conditions: The weather such as air temperature, humidity, wind and sunlight have a vital role in the occurrence of concrete hydration, cracking and shrinkage. These can cool or heat concrete and draw moisture from the concrete surfaces. You may need to use concrete paver crack filler on the surfaces to fill the gaps.
4. Joint spacing: Joint spacing depends on the thickness of slab, concrete aggregates, climate as well as subbase. Pavements with long joint spacing are likely to crack at locations other than the because of the tensile stresses from temperature curling.
5. Misalignment of dowel bars: The alignment of dowel only becomes a reason for restraint if the cracking extends below the saw cut then the misalignment exceeds a tolerance of 3 percent. The formation of initial cracking however will not be influenced by misalignment of dowel bars.
6. Concrete mixture: The temperature and moisture of the concrete relates to the joint saw timing and strength. It also helps to control the ability to start and finish sawing without raveling and before the onset of cracking.
7. Subbase: Stabilized sun bases can cause uncontrolled cracking due to high friction or bonding between the subbase and concrete slab. The friction restrains the concrete’s shrinkage or contraction causing higher stresses which may occur in concrete pavement on granular subbases.

Pros and cons of concrete paver’s driveway.

Pros of concrete pavers driveway

• Easy to replace: Since concrete paver blocks come in individually it is easy to replace the damaged part of your driveway as you’ll only need to replace the damaged block. It is much easier to maintain a concrete paved driveway.
• Durability: Concrete paver block can withstand more wear and tear compared to other choices. Concrete pavers are twice as strong as poured concrete making it suitable for high traffic areas like driveways and front entrances.
• Easy to install: These pavers are very easy to install, and they need zero curing time. After these are laid, they are ready for you to drive on.
• Variety of designs: You can customize your own landscape as these pavers offer a variety of colorful options along with endless patterns, shapes and sizes.

Cons of concrete paver’s driveway

• May shift: Large roots, settling and freezing and unfreezing water can cause the pavers to shift overtime as these pavers have the tendency to move under pressure.
• Provides space to weeds: Since the pavers have joints between them, it may make a space for weeds to start growing in between the cracks.