Concrete is a quality paving material that’s well-suited for a variety of applications, including driveways, walkways, and patios. With proper care, it can last for years while maintaining its durability. To help you ensure the quality of your concrete as soon as it’s poured, here are five tips for maintaining new concrete.

How to Care for New Concrete

1. Proper Cure Time

Curing is an important step for a newly poured concrete driveway or patio. Make sure you choose a time of year in which the temperatures are warm enough for easy drying. Avoid walking or driving over the fresh concrete for at least a week. Following this week of curing, refrain from using heavy equipment on the new pavement for at least a month. If possible, keep heavy trucks and other bulky vehicles off your concrete completely.

2. Consistent Cleaning

Factors such as dirt, debris, and inclement weather can leave behind a mess on your paving. It can also degrade your concrete if not removed promptly. Every few months, power wash your driveway, sidewalks, and patio so grime doesn’t linger and lower the quality of the concrete. In addition, clean up oil and other car fluids as soon as they appear to prevent stains from setting in.

3. Regular Sealing

If you don’t seal concrete every several years, water will get inside the paved surface. The water inside your pavement expands and contracts during the freezing and thawing cycle that occurs during winter, eventually cracking your driveway. In addition to preventing cracking, sealing also helps you avoid stains from car fluids and other debris.

4. Repairing Birdbaths

Depressions tend to appear in concrete over time. Known as birdbaths because of their appearance after collecting water, these depressions should be repaired immediately. If ignored, they can cause more significant issues in the future, such as seeping water, holes, cracks.

5. Snow Care

Your first instinct may be to use deicers and salt to melt snow on your driveway. However, if you want to protect your pavement, opt for sand instead. Chemicals and salt-based products take a toll on your pavement, since they eat away at your driveway’s seal and the concrete underneath.

Whether you need a new driveway, concrete repair, or sealcoating, call Jag Paving Corp. Based in Kearny, NJ, their expert team has been the top choice in concrete and asphalt services for residential and commercial customers since 1996. To find out more about their paving services, call (201) 991-4165 or visit their website.