Protecting Your Driveway & Patio While Improving Curb Appeal

What’s the first thing you see when you visit someone’s home? (Besides the house itself, that is.) Whether you approach on foot or by car, chances are the first thing you see is the concrete surrounding the property. The driveway. The sidewalk. The stoop. Maybe a pathway or patio.

So, when a home’s concrete looks less than great, it can give a poor first impression to visitors. And by “less than great,” we mean everything from spalled, cracked, stained slabs to mismatched sections in a recently repaired driveway or sidewalk.

Damaged concrete and mismatched slabs are actually two separate issues. But, thanks to a new product called DecoShield™, they can be addressed with a single solution.

Why Good Concrete Goes Bad

Concrete’s primary enemy is water. It can wash away supporting soil when there’s too much of it. It can cause soil to shrink when there’s too little. When it freezes and thaws repeatedly, it can cause the concrete’s surface to crack, pit and crumble.

Concrete is porous, so it acts like a giant sponge. Water is absorbed at the surface; then, if temperatures drop below freezing, the water turns into ice, which expands and breaks the walls of those pores, weakening the concrete.

In addition to damage caused by freezing and thawing, concrete’s porous nature makes it susceptible to staining from chemicals, dirt and other materials. As with cracking and pitting, staining is an eyesore that can reduce your home’s curb appeal.

When the Solution Becomes a Problem

When concrete cracks and spalls, many homeowners’ first thought is to have it replaced. While we usually recommend repair rather than replacement for a variety of reasons — including reduced cost and disruption (PolyLevel® foam works wonders in this area) — sometimes a homeowner will decide to have the old concrete jackhammered out and new concrete poured.

This approach can leave a driveway, patio or sidewalk with a mismatched patchwork of light and dark slabs, which can be a real eyesore and lower a home’s curb appeal.

One Product to Rule Them All

So, how do you protect concrete from moisture and minimize stains and mismatched slabs? The answer is DecoShield. It’s a concrete sealer, available exclusively from Foundation Supportworks dealers, designed to protect concrete while improving its look.

Available in a variety of finishes — including translucent tints ranging from walnut to light gray and a clear version ideal for brick, stone and other decorative concrete — DecoShield offers homeowners a simple, economical way to get two benefits in one application. Talk to your local Foundation Supportworks dealer about DecoShield. They’ll be happy to come out and inspect your concrete to give you the best option. By the time they’re done, you’ll know exactly what you’re getting, what it’ll look like and what it’ll cost. And before you know it, visitors to your home will be greeted by the best-looking concrete in your neighborhood.