Concrete Driveway Repair vs. Replacement: How to Decide

Most cracked or sunken driveways can be fixed, as long as the base underneath is sound and the damage is limited.

That is the short answer to the concrete driveway repair question. Once damage covers roughly a third or more of the surface, the slabs are settling in several places, or the base has failed, replacement is the better use of your money.

In Plainfield, a lot of homeowners are reaching that point right now, and the reason is simple math. The village had 4,557 residents in 1990, 13,038 in 2000 and 39,581 in 2010 (US Census). The median home here was built in 2003.

Just over half of local homes (51.4%) went up between 2000 and 2009, and another 19.6% in the 1990s. That puts most driveways in town somewhere between 17 and 35 years old. When I walk a driveway in a 2004 subdivision, I’m looking at concrete that has been through about twenty Chicago winters.

How long does a concrete driveway last around here?

Concrete Network says a properly installed and maintained concrete driveway should last 30 years or longer. In colder climates, driveways may break down sooner but should still last about 20 years. We are firmly in the colder category, and our ground doesn’t help.

Here’s what works against driveways in Will and Kendall counties:

Clay soil, The NRCS soil survey for Will County describes the main parent material in the central and eastern part of the county as silty clay loam glacial till that drains moderately slowly or slowly. Some of it sits on dolomite limestone, and some soils are shallow to bedrock. Water that gets under a slab tends to stay there.

Freeze and thaw. O’Hare’s normal snowfall is 38.4 inches a year, and Chicago averages about 39 days a year when the daytime high stays below freezing.

Neighboring Bolingbrook’s building code sets the frost line at 42 inches, which is a long way below a 4-inch slab.

Deep cold snaps. On January 30, 2019, O’Hare hit minus 23°F, and Chicago stayed below zero for 52 straight hours.

Put those together and you get the classic suburban driveway problem. Water seeps under the concrete, the slow-draining clay holds it, it freezes and lifts the slab, then the ground softens in spring and the slab drops.

A few dozen cycles of that and you see cracks, heaving at joints and a low slab by the garage.

When Concrete Driveway Repair Makes Sense

Repair is the right call when the problem is limited and the ground under the concrete is still doing its job.

Cracks. If you’ve been searching how to fix cracks in concrete driveway slabs, here is the plain version. Cracks under about 1/4 inch wide can generally be cleaned out and filled with a flexible sealant. Hairline cracks are usually cosmetic.

According to Concrete Network, random cracks usually aren’t a structural problem and don’t shorten the driveway’s life.

What matters is sealing them before water gets in. Wider cracks, cracks that go through the full depth of the slab, or cracks that keep growing are a sign of something bigger underneath.

Sunken slabs. When one or two slabs have dropped but are still in one piece, they can usually be lifted.

Mudjacking pumps cement slurry under the slab through small drilled holes and runs about $3 to $7 per square foot. Polyurethane foam lifting runs $5 to $25 per square foot, most often $7 to $17. Most contractors have a $300 to $700 minimum, and the average leveling job comes in around $1,235 (ArmorThane figures).

Worn surfaces. Concrete driveway resurfacing runs about $3 to $5 per square foot (Angi), or roughly $1,200 to $2,900 for a two-car driveway (HomeGuide).

It works when the damage is only on the surface and the slabs underneath are stable. It won’t fix settling or structural cracks, because a thin new layer just follows whatever the old concrete does.

These are national prices, so local quotes will vary with size, access and condition. If you want to see how the approaches compare, here’s a rundown of crack filling, leveling and resurfacing options and what each one is meant to handle.

When Concrete Driveway Replacement Is The Better Money

Replacement usually makes more sense when:

Roughly 30 to 40 percent or more of the surface is damaged
Slabs have settled in multiple places
Cracks are wide, deep and still spreading
The base has failed from washout or major root damage
The driveway is past about 25 years old and repair costs are getting close to replacement

On a cracked concrete driveway, the base tells me more than the surface does. If the stone and soil underneath have washed out or gone soft, no amount of filling or lifting will hold for long.

Homes near the DuPage River deserve a closer look. The river at the Plainfield gauge crested at 13.91 feet on October 15, 2017, 13.70 feet on May 18, 2020 and 13.18 feet on May 2, 2019. Flood stage is 15.5 feet, the level where structures in downtown Plainfield near the river are threatened.

On August 1, 2026, 2 to 4 inches of rain set off flood warnings across Will County, with the river forecast to crest just above 16 feet.

Even without water over the driveway, saturated ground can soften or wash out the base under slabs, and that is a replacement-level problem.

As for concrete driveway replacement cost, national figures run about $8 to $15 per square foot, around $6,900 on average (Today’s Homeowner).

Tear-out and repour runs about $7 to $16 per square foot, so lifting a slab usually costs less than half as much. That’s why it’s worth repairing when the base allows it, and why it’s a waste when it doesn’t.

If you do replace, the details decide whether you’re doing this again in ten years:

Thickness. A 4-inch slab is the residential standard for cars. Go to 5 or 6 inches if you park an RV, a boat or a work truck.

Control joints. Concrete Network recommends joints no more than 10 feet apart on a 4-inch slab, cut at least one quarter of the slab depth (1 inch on a 4-inch slab).

Base and drainage. On our clay, these matter more than anything else. Fix where the water goes before the new concrete goes in.

Concrete Network’s guide to replacing a concrete driveway walks through the full process if you want more detail.

The village also has a say. Plainfield requires a permit to build or maintain a driveway across any public walk, parkway or curb, and the permit survey has to show the driveway and apron width and the finish material.

In residential districts, a driveway can be no more than 20 feet wide at the right-of-way (Sec. 9-54). Anything wider needs a variance with a public hearing. Check with the Building Department before you plan a wider driveway.

Before any pour, it’s reasonable to ask a concrete contractor in Plainfield how deep the base will be, how thick the slab will be, how far apart the joints will go and who is handling the permit. Clear answers to those four questions tell you a lot.

Mistakes I see homeowners make

Resurfacing over slabs that are still moving. If the concrete is settling or heaving, the new surface cracks along the old lines within a season or two.

Ignoring a small crack. Water gets in, freeze-thaw widens it, and a cheap fix turns into a bigger one.

Mudjacking a slab that can’t be saved. If the base has washed out or the slab is broken into pieces, lifting it just delays the replacement.

Replacing without fixing drainage. Downspouts dumping at the edge of the driveway or a low spot by the garage will undermine new concrete the same way they undermined the old.

Widening past 20 feet at the right-of-way. Without a variance, that can get you in trouble with the village.

Hiring on price alone. Two quotes can look similar on paper and differ completely on base depth, thickness and joint spacing.
Quick questions

Is mudjacking worth it?

Usually, yes, when a slab has sunk but is still in one piece and the base under it is solid. It typically costs less than half of tearing out and repouring. It isn’t worth it on broken slabs or washed-out bases.

Can I resurface instead of replacing?

Only if the problems are on the surface and the slabs aren’t moving. Resurfacing won’t stop settling or fix structural cracks, so check for those first.