Resurface, repair or replace: the decision
Resurface, repair or replace? The decision on a Central Florida slab
Resurface when the slab is sound: hairline cracks only, no panel stepped more than ¼ inch, no hollow sound when tapped; it costs $5.00–$9.50 per sq ft versus $8.50–$13.50 per sq ft plus removal for a new pour. Repair when one panel or the apron has failed and the rest is sound. Replace when a third of the panels have moved, when the drive is 1980s vintage on sand with no base, or when the apron and garage panels that carry the load are cracked through.
The three tests we run
- Tap test. A hammer on the slab: a solid ring means support underneath; a hollow thud means a void from washed-out sand.
- String line. Across the panels: offsets over ¼ inch mean the base moved, and an overlay will crack at the same lines.
- Hose test. Where does water go? Toward the garage or under the slab edge means the cause of the movement is still active.
The decision table
| What we find | Answer | Cost, 480 sq ft two-car drive |
|---|---|---|
| Hairline cracks, no offsets, solid, worn or stained surface | Resurface (overlay) | $2,400–$4,560 |
| One panel stepped at the garage, others sound, downspout at the edge | Fix the water, replace or lift the panel | $1,100–$1,900 for the panel |
| Apron corner broken, drive sound | Replace the apron section at 6 in with edge steel | $500–$900 |
| Two or more panels moved, hairlines everywhere, 1980s slab on sand | Replace | $5,040–$8,400 incl. removal |
| Slab heaved at a tree | Root barrier + panel replacement, or reroute | $1,300–$2,300 |
| Pool deck hollow at the coping | Rebuild the deck (paver or concrete) | See pool decks |
| Sound slab, want a new look | Stamped overlay or paver overlay (pool decks only) | Resurfacing + $4–$6/sq ft |
About polyurethane lifting
Foam injected under a slab raises it in an hour and is sold hard in Kissimmee. It works on an intact, relatively new slab with a small dry void after the water problem is solved. It does not fix the reason the slab sank, and on a cracked 1980s garage panel it lifts the pieces and they keep moving. We recommend it in the first case and replacement in the second, and we say which in writing. Pages: Concrete Repair, Concrete Resurfacing & Overlays, Concrete Driveways; the BVL case study in Replacing a 1980s Driveway in Buenaventura Lakes: What We Find Under the Old Slab.
The three tests that settle it
The tap test. Drag a length of chain or tap a hammer across each panel. Supported concrete rings; concrete over a void thuds. A slab with hollow areas has lost its base, and nothing applied to the top restores it.
The string line. Lay a straight edge across every crack. Both sides level means shrinkage, which an overlay covers permanently. A step of an eighth of an inch or more means one side has dropped, which means the base moved, which means the overlay will crack along the same line within a season.
The hose test. Run water where the roof and the irrigation put it and watch. If water ponds against the slab, runs under the edge, or drains toward the garage, the cause of the failure is still live. Fix it first or the money is spent twice.
What each route costs on the same driveway
| Route | 480 sq ft two-car driveway | Lasts | When it is the right answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do nothing | $0 | Deteriorates | Hairline cracks, level, slab sound |
| Route and seal the cracks | Minimum-charge visit | 3 to 5 years | Tight cracks you want kept watertight |
| Grind a trip hazard | Hourly | Indefinite for that lip | A single raised edge on a walk |
| Polyurethane lifting | Quoted by the injection specialist | Years, if the water is fixed | Intact newer panel over a small dry void |
| Replace one panel | $1,020 to $1,620 plus removal | As long as a new slab | One failed panel, rest of the drive sound |
| Resurface the whole drive | $2,400 to $4,560 | 10 to 15 years | Sound slab, tired surface, no steps or hollows |
| Remove and replace | $5,040 to $8,400 | 25 years or more | Multiple failed panels, 1980s slab, or a base that has to be rebuilt |
The trap in the middle
The expensive mistake is resurfacing a driveway that needed replacing. It costs roughly half of a replacement, it looks excellent for a season, and then the same cracks come through because the base under them is still moving. At that point the owner has spent half and still faces the whole, and the overlay has to be removed as part of the demolition.
So our rule is simple and we hold to it even when the customer would rather hear otherwise: hollow or stepped means no overlay. On a 1980s Buenaventura Lakes or Poinciana driveway the honest conversation is usually about replacement, and the reasons are laid out with what we find under those slabs in Replacing a 1980s Driveway in Buenaventura Lakes: What We Find Under the Old Slab. On a 2005 driveway with a tired surface and a solid base, resurfacing is the obvious value and we say that too (Concrete Resurfacing & Overlays).
The conversation we have at the door
Homeowners almost always want to hear that resurfacing will work, because it costs about half. So the honest version of this conversation has a shape. We do the three tests in front of you, we show you what a hollow panel sounds like compared with a solid one, and we put the straight edge across the crack so you can see the step yourself rather than taking our word for it.
If it passes, resurfacing is genuinely the better spend and we will say so even though it is the smaller job. If it fails, we explain what will happen to an overlay on a moving slab, in what timeframe, and we price both anyway so the decision is yours with the numbers in front of you. What we will not do is take the resurfacing money on a slab we know is moving, because the second call is worse for everyone than the first honest answer.
What we do when the tests disagree
Occasionally a slab rings solid everywhere, shows no step across any crack, and still has water running under its edge from a downspout. That is a slab that passes two tests and fails the third, and the answer is not to resurface it and hope.
It is to fix the water first, wait a season, and re-test. If the slab has been losing support slowly, the movement shows up in that time and the resurfacing would have cracked. If it has not, you have a sound slab with the cause removed and an overlay that will last its full life. Waiting a few months is a hard recommendation to make and it is the right one often enough that we make it.
The cost of getting it wrong, both ways
Resurfacing a slab that needed replacing costs the overlay, then the replacement, then the removal of the overlay as part of the demolition. On a 480 square foot driveway that is roughly $2,400 to $4,560 wasted on top of the eventual $5,040 to $8,400, and a year or two of a driveway that looked good and then cracked.
Replacing a slab that only needed resurfacing costs the difference between the two, roughly $2,600 to $3,800 on the same footprint, and gains a longer service life for it. That is a poor decision rather than a disaster. The asymmetry is the reason we test rather than guess, and the reason we will tell an owner who wants the bigger job that the smaller one is sufficient.
Questions we get about this
Can I resurface a cracked driveway?
Hairline cracks, yes, after routing and filling. Cracks with an offset or a hollow slab, no; the overlay follows the movement.
Is resurfacing worth it before selling?
On a sound slab it is the cheapest cosmetic fix and a buyer's inspector will see a clean surface. On a moving slab the inspector will see the offset through the overlay.
How much cheaper is resurfacing than replacing?
About half: $2,400 to $4,560 versus $5,040 to $8,400 for a two-car driveway including removal.
Is lifting cheaper than replacement?
Usually, for a single panel; it is quoted by the injection contractor. It is not cheaper if the panel is cracked and has to be replaced anyway a year later.
Can you resurface just one section?
Technically yes, visually no. An overlay patch reads as a patch. If only one panel is bad, replacing that panel and leaving the rest is usually the better looking answer.
How long does a resurfacing take?
Two to three days including cure, with foot traffic after 24 hours and vehicles after about 72 in warm weather.
Get a written estimate for your project
Tell us the size, the surface you have now and where the lot is. We visit, measure, check access and drainage, and send a written proposal. No pressure calls.
What changed in this update: 2026-09-11 — first published