If your concrete is ugly but structurally sound, resurfacing is the smart money. We grind and prep the existing slab, repair surface damage, and apply a bonded overlay that gives you a brand new wear surface in your choice of finish: broom texture, decorative patterns, or color.
Resurfacing only works on sound slabs, and we are strict about candidacy. A slab that is settling or cracked through will telegraph those problems into any overlay. We inspect first and tell you which side of the line your concrete is on.
What you get
What resurfacing can and cannot fix
Resurfacing bonds a polymer-modified topping over your existing slab, rebuilding the surface at a quarter to a half inch thick. It erases scaling, surface cracks, stains, and tired finishes, and it can change the look entirely with broom texture, knockdown finishes, or stamped overlays in new colors.
What it cannot fix is structure. A slab that is settling, heaving, or cracked into moving sections will telegraph that movement straight through any topping in a winter or two. That is why we run a candidacy check before quoting: we sound the slab, map the cracks, and check grade.
Roughly half the resurfacing calls we run in Lawrence pass the check. The other half get honest advice to level first, repair first, or replace, because selling a topping over a failing slab is taking money for a product that will not last.
Cost and process for a resurfaced slab
Resurfacing typically runs $4 to $9 per square foot depending on the finish system, against $8 to $14 for tear-out and replacement. On a 600 square foot driveway, that gap is real money, and the result carries a fresh wear surface with its own multi-year service life.
The process: pressure-wash and mechanically profile the surface, repair cracks and spalls, then apply the topping system and finish it to spec. Most residential jobs run two to three days, and the surface takes foot traffic the next day.
Sealing on schedule protects the investment the same as any decorative surface in Kansas. We include the first sealer coat in the job and put the reseal interval in writing at handoff.
Finish options that change the whole look
Resurfacing is a design opportunity, not just a repair. Broom and knockdown textures read clean and traditional. Stamped overlays put slate and stone patterns over an existing slab. Stains and integral color shift a gray driveway to warm earth tones that match the house. The structural slab stays; the visible surface starts over.
Front entries and porches respond best of all, because the surface area is small and the visual payoff sits at the front door. A worn 1970s porch resurfaced in a sandstone-toned knockdown finish changes the face of the house for a four-figure price.
We sample every decorative resurfacing job on site before the full application, same as our new decorative pours. You approve the texture and color standing on it in your own light, which is the only honest way to sell color in concrete.
Garage floors and basement slabs resurface beautifully ahead of coatings or finished flooring, fixing pits and spalls that would otherwise telegraph through whatever goes on top. We run interior resurfacing all winter, which makes it a natural off-season project while exterior work waits for spring temperatures.
Curb appeal projects ahead of a home sale are a sweet spot for resurfacing: a tired driveway and front walk re-skinned in fresh finish photograph like new concrete for a fraction of the price, and listings notice. Agents around Lawrence send us those calls for a reason.
Resurfacing weathered Lawrence concrete
Lawrence is full of perfect resurfacing candidates: driveways and patios from the 90s and 2000s where freeze-thaw and salt scaled the surface but the slab underneath stayed solid. The damage is cosmetic and shallow, the structure is fine, and tearing out a sound slab to fix its skin is throwing money away. An overlay restores these surfaces for roughly half of replacement cost.
Our climate sets the spec for overlay systems. We use polymer-modified overlays rated for exterior freeze-thaw exposure, applied over mechanically ground surfaces, because bond strength is everything in a climate that tries to pry coatings off every winter. We then seal the finished surface so the salt-and-meltwater cycle that scaled the original surface cannot start over on the new one. Done this way, an overlay is not a cosmetic patch but a wear surface with a long service life.
The honest limits matter as much as the pitch. Slabs with active settlement need leveling first. Slabs cracked through their full depth will crack their overlays. Heaved sections need correction before anything goes over them. About a third of resurfacing inquiries we assess in the Lawrence area turn out to need one of those fixes first or replacement instead, and we tell you that at the assessment, not after you have paid for an overlay that was set up to fail.
Where we do this work
We provide concrete resurfacing across Lawrence and Douglas County:
Concrete Resurfacing: common questions
How much does resurfacing cost versus replacement?
Typically 40 to 60 percent of replacement cost. A driveway repour quoted in five figures can often be resurfaced for roughly half, finish upgrade included.
How long does a resurfaced slab last?
A properly prepped and sealed overlay on a sound slab lasts 10 to 20 years outdoors. Prep quality and resealing on schedule are the difference between those numbers.
Can you resurface concrete with cracks?
Hairline surface cracks, yes, after repair. Cracks through the slab or active settlement, no. We assess which type you have before quoting.
What finishes are available on an overlay?
Broom texture, knockdown texture, stamped patterns, and integral color. Most clients use resurfacing as a chance to upgrade the look, not just repair it.