With winter arriving in Minnesota, we thought we would cover an important part of your driveway that’s often overlooked, the concrete apron. The concrete garage apron is the concrete slab in front of the garage door. The apron is usually between 3 to 5 feet wide and runs the entire width of the driveway and the garage door. If you are in need of a concrete apron for your White Bear Lake area home, Wohlwend Concrete is here to supply it. As the trusted name in concrete, we are here to tell you more about the importance of a concrete garage apron and how to protect it this winter.
So, what makes a concrete garage apron important? A concrete apron is important because it provides a necessary transition between the driveway level and the garage floor. The driveway is not always level with the garage floor. Concrete garage aprons are poured in a gradual slope from the driveway to the garage floor.
If you have an older asphalt driveway, some homeowners will experience a ‘dip’ or ‘holes’ near the garage floor. This could wreak havoc on tires and even damage them. In fact, there are some vehicles that are very low profile, so they could make contact with the concrete and sustain damage. We recommend a concrete apron as the fix to this issue. Ensuring safe passage from one grade of pavement to another, concrete aprons also bring a professional and modern look to your home.
If you’ve noticed gaps, cracks, erosion or heaving at the concrete apron site, it is essential to have repairs or replacement performed as soon as possible. If left untreated, issues could quickly progress further into major problems. Old or damaged concrete aprons can cause erosion, sinkholes or heaving – things you can avoid by maintaining your concrete apron well and replacing it at the first sign of damage.
That leads us to our next point; protecting your concrete apron this winter in order to avoid future damage. First of all, do not use any salt or de-icers on your new concrete. These products can produce a chemical reaction with the concrete that will cause physical damage. Use of these products will void the warranty. We recommend using sand, as this will not cause any harm to the new concrete. When you use a method of snow removal that has a steel cutting/scraping edge, it will leave behind tiny amounts of steel on the surface of the concrete. These small amounts of steel will oxidize and rust, leaving rust visible on the surface of the concrete. This rust is difficult to remove.
Ready to learn more? For information about a concrete apron for your Minnesota area home, contact us at 651-426-2610 or contact us to request a free estimate!