These are the questions that do not fit on our other guide pages.
How long does a concrete driveway last?
A well-built concrete driveway lasts 25 to 40 years or more. In Sioux Falls the range is wide because winter decides it. Air-entrained concrete on a drained base, sealed and kept clear of heavy deicer, reaches the long end. A thin slab on clay with salt every week can scale and heave in ten years.
Can I pour concrete myself or should I hire someone?
A small pad is a fair DIY job with bagged mix and a few helpers. A driveway or patio is a different matter. A truckload has to be placed, leveled and finished within a couple of hours, and nothing can be redone afterward. Most DIY trouble we see comes from a thin base, no joints and a surface worked while water was on it, which then flakes in winter.
Can I pour a small shed pad with bags from the store?
Yes, for a small shed. Dig out the sod and topsoil, compact several inches of gravel, set level forms and mix the bags to a stiff consistency. Many bagged mixes are not air-entrained, so check the bag if the pad will be open to weather. In Sioux Falls a shed over 200 square feet needs a building permit and smaller ones need a zoning placement permit, so call the city before you build.
I poured my own walkway and it cracked and sank. Redo it or hire?
If you redo it, fix the cause first. A walk that cracked and sank was almost certainly poured on topsoil or loose fill with too few joints. Remove it, dig out the soft soil, compact a gravel base and cut a joint about every four to five feet. If that sounds like more than a weekend, hiring it out costs less than doing it a third time.
How do I get oil stains out of concrete?
For fresh oil stains, soak up the oil with cat litter, then scrub with a degreaser and hot water. Old stains need a poultice or a concrete degreaser left on to draw the oil out, sometimes more than once. A pressure washer helps after the degreaser, not in place of it. Some shadow may remain. Sealed concrete stains far less.
Can an old concrete floor be stained or dyed?
Yes, an old floor can be stained if it is clean and bare. Glue, paint and old sealer must come off so the stain can soak in. Stain is see-through, so cracks and patches stay visible. In basements here, test the slab for moisture first and use a sealer that breathes, or it will turn cloudy.
A customer tripped on the concrete outside my business. Am I liable?
Whether you are liable is a legal question for your insurer and an attorney, and we cannot answer it. What we can say is that the City of Sioux Falls makes property owners responsible for repairing the public sidewalk along their lot, and that a known hazard left alone is a risk. Report the incident to your insurer, photograph the spot, and repair it promptly. Keep the repair invoice.
Can sections be replaced while my business stays open?
Yes. We replace walks, entries and parking areas in sections so the business stays open. One door or lane remains in use while another cures, and we schedule pours for your quiet hours. New concrete takes foot traffic after about a day and vehicles after about a week.
Can you pour a basketball pad or sport court?
Yes. A basketball pad needs a flat, smooth-troweled or light broom surface with a slight slope for drainage, and joints placed away from the main playing area where possible. On our clay soil the base decides whether the court stays flat through winters. No published price was found for sport courts, so we price them after a site visit.
Does hail damage concrete?
No, not sound concrete. Hail is hard on roofs and siding here but does not harm a cured slab. It can dent the surface of a pour that is only hours old, which is one more reason we watch summer forecasts.
Do earthquakes, salt air or expansive desert soils matter here?
Not in the way they do elsewhere. Earthquakes are not a regular design concern for home flatwork in eastern South Dakota, and there is no salt air. Our version of those problems is frost in wet clay and road salt, and that is what a Sioux Falls slab should be built for.
How do I take care of concrete through a Sioux Falls winter?
- Seal it in fall with a penetrating sealer.
- Use sand for grip, and little or no deicer.
- Shovel early with a plastic blade.
- Rinse salt off the driveway and garage floor in a thaw.
- Keep downspouts and the sump line off the slab.
- Seal open cracks and joints before the ground freezes.
The only real price for your property comes from a free on-site estimate and a written quote. Call (605) 633-5029 or text us a photo of the concrete.