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Seal Driveway Cracks Before Winter: A Naches Crack Repair
The best time to seal driveway cracks is fall, before the first hard freeze. Water that gets into an open crack freezes, expands, and pushes the crack wider every winter, and it washes soil out from under the slab in between. Sealing now keeps that water out and stops a small crack from turning into a sunken or broken slab. We just did this for a homeowner in Naches.
What We Sealed on This Naches Driveway
This exposed aggregate driveway had a crack running across one of its panels, and the control joints had opened up. We cleaned out the crack and the joints, then filled them with a flexible sealant. That's the white line you see in the photo. It keeps water from getting down into the slab and the soil underneath it.
Why Seal Driveway Cracks Before Winter?
Sealing before winter matters because freeze-thaw is what turns small cracks into big ones. Water sits in an open crack, freezes overnight, expands, and thaws again the next day. Every one of those cycles pries the crack a little wider. Naches sits higher up the valley than Yakima and tends to see colder winter nights, so driveways there go through a lot of those cycles.
Fall is also the easiest time to do it. Irrigation season is over, the concrete is dry, and the weather is still mild enough for sealant to set properly. Learn more about our concrete crack repair in Yakima Valley.
What Happens If You Leave Driveway Cracks Open?
An open crack lets water reach the soil under your driveway, and that is how slabs start to sink. The water carries soil away a little at a time until the concrete has nothing solid underneath it. Then the slab drops, tilts, or cracks further. Our post on how poor drainage leads to sinking concrete explains the process in detail. A tube of sealant this fall costs far less than lifting a sunken slab next spring.
How We Seal Driveway Cracks
We check the slab, clean out the cracks, and fill them with flexible sealant:
Check the slab first. If one side of a crack sits higher than the other, the slab has moved, and it needs leveling before it gets sealed.
Clean out the cracks and joints. Dirt and debris come out so the sealant bonds to clean concrete.
Fill with flexible sealant. The sealant moves with the concrete as temperatures change, so it keeps the crack closed through winter.
When Sealing Isn't Enough
Sealing fixes open cracks, but it can't fix a slab that has already sunk. If a crack has a raised lip or the slab tilts, it needs to be lifted first and then sealed. That's what we did on a sunken garage floor in Terrace Heights. If the concrete is crumbling or broken into loose pieces, resurfacing or replacement may be the honest answer. Either way, we'll tell you straight.
Not sure what your slab needs? Here's a guide to what concrete leveling can fix.
Get Your Driveway Cracks Sealed Before Winter
Level Best Northwest seals driveway, sidewalk, and patio cracks in Naches, Yakima, Selah, Terrace Heights, and across the Yakima Valley, plus Ellensburg and the Tri-Cities. Estimates are free.
Call 509-796-0658 or send us a message.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the best time to seal driveway cracks?
Fall, before the first hard freeze. The concrete is dry after irrigation season, and sealing then keeps water out of the cracks through the winter freeze-thaw cycles.
Does sealing driveway cracks really help?
Yes. Sealing keeps water out of the crack and away from the soil under the slab, which slows freeze-thaw damage and helps prevent the slab from sinking.
Can you seal cracks in an exposed aggregate driveway?
Yes. Cracks and control joints in exposed aggregate concrete can be cleaned out and filled with flexible sealant, like the Naches driveway in this post.
Should a sunken slab be leveled before the cracks are sealed?
Yes. If one side of a crack sits higher than the other, the slab has moved. Leveling it first and sealing it after gives you a flat, lasting repair.
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