Damage from Hurricane Wilma pulled up 1/4 of our driveway and it's finally time to repair .

I never broke up cement or poured new cement, but it seems like a pretty basic job.
1. Sledgehammer into pieces until I clear up broken section.
2. Mix , pour , set. smooth...

Any advice appreciated..

AA

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'87 924S
'81 280SEL

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Make sure the forms are good and solid. If the aren't and they break it becomes a huge mess to fix. It should slope 1/4" per foot away from the house for drainage. I would put a broom finish on it when it is close to cured. Just lightly push and pull a push broom over it. Or else you will have a very slippery driveway.

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Rent a small Jackhammer.
Electric, it'll make the job easier, at least depending on how much you're dealling with.

Don't forget rebar, or mesh for strength.

Might find out about having the mix delivered, although it does get pricey for a small job. But mixing can be a ***** too.

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KLK, MCSE

1990 500SL

I was always taught to respect my elders.
I don't have to respect too many people anymore.

The most important part of the concrete job is base prep. Without a solid gravel 'foundation' the driveway will crack and settle. Cut the slab with a saw (rent or hire someone) to square up the edges. Use a compactor to pack the gravel base before placing the slab. To do a good job it takes a few specialized tools that can be rented . I was a PCA certified flatwork finisher in a past life and have seen a lot of good and bad concrete work. Unless it's only a few square feet of concrete it may be cheaper to hire a pro to do it all. They can schedule several small jobs to be done in the same area with concrete from one truck.

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check this link http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/concrete_driveways/

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Democracy dies in darkness, you have to kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight

As Kyle said, do not skimp on the base prep. You may be able to use the rubble from the demo work for some of the base--if its broken up small enough. If there is any doubt about how stable is the base, do a "proof roll". This is simply driving a HEAVY truck over it a few times. I mean a heavy truck, like a fully loaded ten theel dump, or similar. If there is someone doing some work in your area, you may be able to persuade a dump truck driver to make a short detour to your driveway. These guys often get paid by the trip, so don't expect him to do it for nothing; make it worth while for him/her.
What you are looking for, is how stable is the base. If it deflects under the truck's wheels, and stays down, just roll it a few times--the base was not well compacted. Then place your concrete. If, however, it "pumps", deflects down, and springs back after the wheels move on, you need to do more work. What you are seeing is that the load is being carried by the pore water pressure between the indiviual soil particles. Its sort of like a water bed in the ground. If you see the soil pumping, remove the soil until you get rid of the wet/soft stuff, then backfill with crushed rock/stone. I don't know what products are available in your area, but the guys at the local quarry will know what you need. This fill needs to be placed in thin lifts and tamped. The thickness of the lifts is dependant on the compactive effort you can use. If you are using hand equipment, use 3"-4" max, if you can get a roller on it, you may be able to go with 8" lifts. In any case you want to make it so well compacted that it will not settle over time. There are ways to test this, but are not economical enough for most residential work. Just whack it until it not longer settles.
The main point is--make sure you have a good, well draining base.

Place a metrosexual in the mix and it'll be more feminine!

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Not sure how big your driveway is, but if you need a good amount of Concrete, you might want to check the yellow pages for a U-haul-it concrete place. They mix small batches and have a transporting device that you can attach to your hitch (or a friends hitch), and once you are home, a lever that releases the load through an opening.
Beats having to make it yourself by a mile!

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