Hobart Concrete Resurfacing Contractors

They will if they aren't dealt with first, and that's the most common reason overlays disappoint. A crack that's still moving will telegraph through any overlay laid over it, usually within a season. Around Hobart, reactive clay soils that swell in winter and shrink in summer are a frequent cause of that movement. The answer is to establish whether each crack is active, stabilise it with the right repair, and in some cases use a crack-bridging membrane or a joint that lets movement happen in a controlled spot. Where a slab has extensive live cracking, resurfacing isn't the right solution and we'll tell you so.

It varies with the system and the purpose. A thin decorative micro-topping can be only a couple of millimetres, enough to change the colour and texture but not to correct levels. A self-levelling or stamped overlay is typically thicker, which lets it even out an uneven surface and carry a pattern. Thicker isn't automatically better — the right thickness depends on what you need it to achieve and how much height you can add without causing problems at door thresholds, steps, garage entries and drainage points. We check all of those before recommending a system.

It can, but weather is the main constraint and it's often worth waiting. Overlays need a dry surface to bond to and a dry window afterwards to cure properly. A Hobart winter gives fewer reliable dry stretches, overnight frosts are common, and low temperatures slow the curing of both the overlay and any sealer — most products also have a minimum application temperature. We do work through winter where there's a genuine reason to, choosing mild, dry spells and protecting the work overnight, but for discretionary jobs we'll usually suggest spring through autumn for a better result and less risk of delay.

A well-applied overlay on a sound, well-prepared slab is durable and lasts many years, but it's honest to say it isn't identical to a correctly built new surface. Its performance is tied to the slab beneath — if that eventually fails, the overlay goes with it. It's also thinner, so it's less tolerant of heavy impact. Given a sound base, though, resurfacing delivers most of the benefit of replacement for much less cost and disruption, without breaking out old concrete and carting it away. On a steep block or a site with tight access, that saving can be considerable.