Repair when the slab is solid and the ground under it has stopped moving. Replace when the support has failed. The situations below use the dollar amounts from customers' own questions. They are not our prices.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace concrete?
Repair is cheaper today. Whether it is cheaper over ten years depends on the slab. Nationally, lifting runs $3 to $12 per square foot and resurfacing $3 to $7, while removal plus a new driveway runs $9 to $23 per square foot when you add the two published ranges. Those are HomeGuide's 2026 national figures. A repair that holds for many years is money well spent. A repair you redo every other summer is not.
My driveway is 20 years old and one section by the garage has sunk. I was quoted $9,000 to replace all of it. Do I have to?
No, not if the rest is sound. One sunken section by the garage is the most common driveway fault in Baton Rouge, because the fill next to the house slab was the last to be placed and the least packed. If the other panels are level and not broken, you can lift that one section or cut it out and pour it again. Either costs a fraction of $9,000. Replace the whole drive only if most panels are cracked through or you want a wider layout anyway. Ask the contractor who quoted $9,000 what is wrong with the other sections.
Repair for $7,000 or replace for $14,000 when I plan to sell in two or three years?
If the repair fixes the real fault, take the $7,000. The difference is $7,000, and you will not live there long enough to use the extra life of a new slab. Buyers and inspectors look for level, safe concrete that drains away from the house. They do not pay double for new. Choose replacement only if the repair leaves the cause in place, because then it may fail before you list.
I have a few long cracks and I am selling the house. Repair, replace or leave it?
Seal them and leave the slab. When you are selling the house, long cracks that are tight and level are normal for concrete on our clay, and most inspectors note them without alarm. Sealing costs little and shows the slab was cared for. Deal with anything that is a trip edge or that tilts water toward the foundation, since those do get flagged. Full replacement seldom returns its cost at sale.
One contractor says tear it out. Another says pour a new layer over it. Who is right?
On a driveway or patio in Baton Rouge, the one who says tear it out is usually right. A new layer bonded on top inherits every crack and every bit of movement from the slab below. It also raises the surface, which can block a door or send water into the garage. The new layer approach is fair only when the old slab is uncracked and stable. Ask the second contractor what they will do about the existing cracks and joints.
My driveway is 30 years old with root cracks and I am on a tight budget. Can I grind and patch it?
Yes, for a few more years. On a tight budget, grinding the raised edges removes the trip points, and sealing the cracks slows water getting under the slab. That buys time and makes it safe. It does not stop the roots, so the edges will lift again. When money allows, replace the worst panels first, the ones nearest the tree, and leave the sound ones.
I have lots of small cracks but nothing has sunk. Is sealing or resurfacing enough?
Yes, sealing or resurfacing is enough when the slab is level and solid. A web of fine surface cracks is usually from the top drying too fast on the day it was poured. It is cosmetic. Seal the surface to keep water out, or resurface if you dislike the look. Watch for change. If the cracks widen or one side starts to drop, the diagnosis is different.
How do I tell a failing slab from an ugly one?
- Height difference across a crack: failing.
- A hollow sound when you tap it, or a slab that rocks: failing.
- Water now runs toward the house: failing, and urgent.
- Fine cracks, stains, worn surface, all level: ugly, and repairable.
- Cracks in a line that continues across the street: have an engineer look.
The only real price is one written after we have seen your property. The estimate is free. Call (225) 434-4721 or text us a few photos.