Cracked Driveway: Repair It or Replace It?
Not every crack means tear-out — and not every "just patch it" is honest. Here's how to tell which camp your driveway is in, and what each path costs in the Waco market.
Not every crack means tear-out — and not every "just patch it" is honest. Here's how to tell which camp your driveway is in, and what each path costs in the Waco market.
Repair when the slab is fundamentally sound and the problem is cosmetic or isolated: a few hairline or narrow cracks, minor surface spalling, one settled section over a known void. Replace when the damage is structural and widespread: cracks wider than about ⅜–½ inch, sections heaving or sinking at different heights, a spiderweb of cracking across the whole slab, or crumbling that keeps coming back no matter how many times it's patched.
The tell is whether the concrete has failed or just aged. Aged concrete gets repaired. Failed concrete gets replaced — patching it is throwing good money after bad.
| Option | Typical range | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Crack filling / sealing | $1 – $3 / linear ft | Narrow, stable cracks (trip minimums ~$100–$175 apply) |
| Resurfacing / overlay | $3 – $5 / sq ft | Sound slab, tired-looking surface |
| Lift & level a settled section | $500 – $2,500 per area | Sound slab sitting over a void — see leveling |
| Full tear-out & replace | $8 – $15 / sq ft | Structural failure, heaving, widespread cracking |
| Typical 2-car driveway replacement | $4,000 – $7,000+ | All-in for a standard drive |
Ranges reflect typical Central Texas pricing; see the full Waco concrete cost guide. Every job is quoted in writing before work starts.
Before you spend a dollar on either path, understand why it cracked — because in Waco the answer is almost always the ground, not the concrete. The Houston Black / Blackland Prairie clay under most of McLennan County swells when it's wet and shrinks hard when it's dry, and that seasonal movement is what lifts, drops, and cracks slabs. If you replace a driveway without addressing the soil behavior — proper base, thickness, reinforcement, control joints, and drainage away from the slab — the new one cracks the same way. Our cracks & clay soil page covers how to build against it, and standing water is often part of the story — see driveway drainage.
Send a couple of photos and we'll tell you which camp your driveway is really in — and quote only the work it actually needs, base and drainage included.
Call (254) 457-3838