The Short Answer
Repair the driveway when the slab is still structurally sound and the damage is confined to the surface or a handful of isolated cracks. Replace it when the base underneath has failed, when cracks run wider than a quarter inch across most of the slab, or when sections have shifted out of plane.
The deciding factor is rarely how many cracks you can count. It is whether the ground under the concrete is still holding the slab flat and level.
Start With Crack Width
Crack width is the fastest test a homeowner can run without special tools. Use a tape measure, or slide a coin into the gap and compare what you find against the ranges below.
| Crack width | What it usually means | Typical action |
|---|---|---|
| Hairline, under 1/8 inch | Shrinkage during curing or minor surface stress | Clean, fill, and seal. Monitor each spring. |
| 1/8 to 1/4 inch | Some movement, and water is now reaching the base | Rout the crack, fill with flexible sealant, reseal the slab |
| 1/4 to 1/2 inch | Structural movement or settlement below the slab | Have the base assessed. Partial replacement is likely. |
| Over 1/2 inch, or any vertical offset | Base failure or slab separation | Replace the affected sections or the full driveway |
Vertical offset matters more than width. If one side of a crack sits higher than the other, the soil below has moved, and filling the gap does nothing to stop that movement.
Signs the Slab Is Past Repair
A few visual cues reliably point toward replacement rather than patching. If you see two or more of these, budget for a new pour.
- Spiderweb or map cracking spread across large areas rather than in single lines
- Sections that rock underfoot or sound hollow when tapped
- Water pooling in the middle of the slab instead of draining to the street
- Spalling and flaking deeper than about half an inch, with aggregate exposed
- The driveway now pitches toward the house or the garage
- A slab past 30 years old that has already been patched several times
Resurfacing Compared to a Full Pour
What resurfacing actually does
A resurfacing overlay bonds a thin layer of polymer modified concrete, usually 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, over the existing slab. It restores appearance and gives you a fresh wearing surface.
It does not add structural strength, and it will not bridge a crack that is still moving. Within a season or two, any active crack telegraphs straight through the new topping.
Resurfacing only makes sense when the slab is flat, stable, and free of settlement. Our crews handle that work as part of our crack filling and slab restoration services, and the first step is always confirming the base is sound.
What a full pour does
Replacement means breaking out the old concrete, correcting the base with properly compacted granular fill, and pouring a new slab at the right thickness. For a residential driveway that usually means four inches, going to five or six where heavy vehicles park.
It costs more up front and takes longer. It is also the only option that fixes drainage, grade, and base problems in one pass, which is why most new driveway installations outlast a patched slab several times over.
Weighing the Two Options
| Option | Typical service life | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Crack repair and sealing | 3 to 6 years per treatment | Sound slab, isolated cracks under 1/4 inch |
| Resurfacing overlay | 8 to 15 years | Stable slab with worn or spalled surface only |
| Partial replacement | 25 years or more on new sections | One or two failed panels, rest of slab intact |
| Full replacement | 30 to 40 years | Base failure, widespread cracking, drainage problems |
A rough rule holds up well. If repair costs climb past roughly half the price of replacing, put the money toward a new slab.
How the Local Climate Changes the Math
Winnipeg drives concrete through a brutal cycle. Water enters a crack, freezes, expands, and widens the crack a little more with every thaw.
The clay soils common across the city compound the problem. Clay swells when wet and shrinks in dry spells, so slabs sitting on a poorly prepared base move seasonally no matter how good the concrete was.
That is why a small crack here rarely stays small. A gap that measured 1/8 inch in September can measure 1/4 inch by the time the spring melt finishes.
It is also why sealing pays for itself in MB. Keeping water out of the slab and applying a fresh protective sealer every few years is the cheapest way to delay both repair and replacement.
A Quick Decision Checklist
- Measure your widest crack. Under 1/4 inch with no height difference points to repair.
- Walk the slab after rain. Standing water means the grade is wrong and patching will not fix it.
- Tap suspect sections. Hollow sounds mean voids under the concrete.
- Count your past repairs. A third round of patching is usually money better spent on new concrete.
- Check the age. Past 30 years, replacement almost always wins on cost per year.
Not Sure Which Side You Fall On
Most homeowners can narrow it down with a tape measure and ten minutes outside. The grey area is settlement, since that is hard to judge from the surface alone.
If you want a straight answer on whether your slab is worth saving, reach out for a free on site assessment. We will tell you if a repair will hold, and we will say so plainly when it will not.