Why Removing Old Concrete Before You Pour That New Patio Is Best

A common question when people look at replacing their old concrete patio with a new one is whether they can just pour the new concrete over the old. If the old patio seems in a stable shape (even if it looks terrible, with cracks and chips), you'd think that pouring new concrete over the old is the easiest way to get the job done. Well, it is possible to pour the new concrete over the old. However, when you replace your concrete patio with a new surface, it really is best if you remove the old concrete first, redo the base, and then pour the new concrete. Starting fresh will allow you to do so much more to make the new patio stable. 

Why Complicate the New Surface Pour?

First, if you pour new concrete over old, you'll have to ensure the grade of the old patio is still acceptable and that you cover all chips and cracks. You'll also have to thoroughly clean the old concrete first because any leftover dirt will affect how well the new concrete adheres to the old. It's really much easier, if you're going to do a lot of work anyway, to remove the old concrete at the start of the project. That results in fewer potential complications, and while pouring new concrete can have its own issues, they are more straightforward to fix.

You Need to Correct What Caused the Original Problem

If you've got old concrete that is chipped, cracked, tilted, and so on, you need to correct what caused those problems before you can pour new concrete. Otherwise, the new concrete is likely to start showing evidence of those same problems soon after it dries. For example, if the old concrete has a hairline crack in it from frost heave, you need to fix the base before adding more concrete. Otherwise, you'll just have more frost heave cracks to deal with after the next cold winter.

No Lurking Issues That Will Haunt You

If you cover up an old patio surface with new concrete, you're essentially hiding whatever is beneath the old concrete. You don't know if there's a lurking drainage or erosion problem, nor do you know if the base is still in good shape. Removing the old concrete and redoing the base ensures that the new patio will not have hidden issues. That lets you worry less as there are no hints that something might go wrong and no thoughts about what you might have missed that needed to be fixed.

The company pouring the new concrete should also offer removal services for the old patio. If you have them start the entire patio over, with a fresh base and fresh concrete, you'll have a stronger patio that will last a lot longer.

To learn more about concrete patios, reach out to a concrete contractor.