What this covers
- New driveways at new homes
- Driveways where there was gravel or dirt
- Saw-cut or tooled joints
- Broom finish with smooth borders
Joints are planned cracks
Concrete shrinks as it dries, and NRMCA says it is not possible to make completely crack-free concrete. Joints decide where the cracks go. NRMCA calls them “simply pre-planned cracks.”
Its guidance for slabs on the ground: space joints no more than 24 to 36 times the slab thickness, which works out to about 10 feet for a 4-inch slab, and no more than 15 feet in any case. Keep panels square or close to it, never more than 1.5 times as long as they are wide, and avoid L-shaped panels.
Timing the saw cut
Saw-cut joints have a window. NRMCA says conventional saw cuts should be made within 4 to 12 hours after finishing, and cut at least a quarter of the slab’s thickness deep. Cut too early and the edges ravel. Cut too late and the slab may crack on its own first.
Many of the driveways in our photos show this layout: straight saw cuts with smooth trowel bands framing broom-finish panels.
Recent new driveways work
Where Tim pours new driveways
Questions people ask
Do you pour driveways at new homes?
Yes. New driveways are on Tim’s service list, and many of the photos on this page are new construction.
How far apart should driveway joints be?
NRMCA recommends a maximum joint spacing of 24 to 36 times the slab thickness, about 10 feet for a 4-inch slab, and no more than 15 feet.
Will a new driveway crack?
NRMCA says it is not possible to produce completely crack-free concrete, but joints, good subgrade, the right mix and proper curing control where and how much it cracks.