Concrete Overlays in Des Moines, WA

Concrete overlays in Des Moines: what to know

The city’s own housing assessment says most of its housing was built between 1950 and 1980, and only about 16 percent in 1990 or later. That leaves many driveways, walks, and patios that have weathered rather than failed. Stained, pitted, or rough surface is the problem an overlay solves.

The catch on a hillside is movement. A slab on fill or on a slope can settle or creep, and an overlay will copy any crack that still moves. The street standards also specify Portland cement concrete from the curb to the back of the sidewalk, so a coating that changes the height or surface of the apron is something to clear with Public Works before it goes down.

Permits and rules in Des Moines

Resurfacing a slab on your own lot leaves the footprint alone, and the city’s building handout does not list it. The apron between curb and sidewalk is different: the city requires a right-of-way permit to alter an approach, and the standards call for concrete there. Added thickness at a garage door or a sidewalk joint changes grade and drainage, so before pricing we confirm with Planning, Building and Public Works what applies to your slab.

Rules change and vary by parcel, so we confirm the current requirements with the city before we start.

How we approach it

Sound the slab for hollow spots and for cracks that still move
Look for slope creep or fill settlement on the downhill side of the pad
Feather the overlay at garage thresholds so water still drains away from doors
Leave the curb-to-sidewalk concrete alone unless Public Works approves the work

For the full process, see our Concrete Overlays page.

Building in the cold months? See our guide to winter concrete pours.

Our concrete overlays work, serving Des Moines

Examples of our work. We build concrete overlays in Des Moines and the cities around it. See all of our work

Questions from Des Moines homeowners

Is an overlay worth it on an older Des Moines driveway?

A flat slab whose cracks have stopped moving is a good candidate. Weathered, stained, or pitted surface is what an overlay fixes, and many slabs here are decades old but sound. Sections that sank on fill get replaced first, because an overlay would follow them down.

Can the apron where my Des Moines driveway meets the sidewalk be resurfaced?

Not on our say-so. The city requires a right-of-way permit to alter an approach, and its standards call for Portland cement concrete there. We would ask Public Works whether a surface coat counts as altering it, and otherwise end the overlay at the property line.

Will an overlay hide cracks on a sloped Des Moines lot?

Only cracks that have stopped moving. On a hillside, a crack that keeps opening points to settlement or soil creep, and it will show through any overlay. We fix the cause or replace that section first, then resurface the stable part of the slab.