Concrete Resurfacing Warranty: What It Actually Covers
Almost everybody reads a concrete resurfacing warranty the same way, which is to look for the number of years and then stop. The number of years is the least informative thing in the document. A short warranty with narrow exclusions is worth considerably more than a long one that excludes every failure likely to occur. Read the exclusions first. Then read who is standing behind it. Then, last, look at the term. What it should cover The core promise in a resurfacing warranty is the bond. A new surface bonded to old concrete should stay bonded, and if it lifts, blisters or delaminates within the term, that is a defect in the work or the material and it is what the warranty exists for. Beyond that, a reasonable document covers defects in the material itself, and premature breakdown of a surface that has been maintained as instructed. Those are the failures a contractor can control, and they are almost always traceable to preparation, which is exactly why preparation is the thing to interrogate in the proposal. Almost every early failure traces back to what happened before the first coat went down, which is why the preparation line in the scope is worth more scrutiny than the warranty term. What a concrete resurfacing warranty usually excludes The exclusion list is remarkably consistent across the trade, and it is long. Movement in the existing slab. The largest exclusion by far. If the concrete underneath moves, the surface bonded to it will crack, and no contractor warrants the behaviour of a slab they did not pour. This is reasonable, and it is also the most common cause of the failure people try to claim for. Reflective cracking. Old cracks reappearing through the new surface. Usually excluded, and usually preventable, which is the frustrating part: it happens when working cracks were filled and covered instead of being carried through as joints. That distinction is in what the cracks mean, and it is worth asking, before signing, how the specific cracks on your job will be treated. Anything caused by water. Drainage, standing water, water getting under the slab. Excluded almost universally. Normal wear of the sealer. The sealer is a consumable and its wear is maintenance, not a defect. Fair, and it means the renewal schedule is your responsibility and your cost. Chemical damage and de-icing products. Including things people do not think of as chemicals: some driveway cleaners, some pressure washer detergents, spilled pool chemicals. Improper maintenance. Which is why the maintenance instructions matter. High pressure washing at the wrong setting, the wrong cleaning products, or a sealer you bought and applied yourself will all typically void cover on the affected area. Abuse and unusual loading. Point loads, dragged skips, heavy machinery, vehicle fluids left to sit. Material warranty and workmanship warranty are not the same thing This is where quotes become misleading without anybody lying. A manufacturer material warranty covers the product being defective and usually offers replacement material only. It does not pay for removing the failed surface or installing the replacement, which is where the actual money is. A workmanship warranty from the contractor covers the installation: preparation, application, joints, detailing. It is the one that pays for labour. Ask for both, separately, in writing, with the term and exclusions stated for each. A proposal that says “ten year warranty” without saying which kind, and from whom, has not told you anything. Notification periods, and the clause that catches people Most warranties require prompt notification of a problem, and some state a specific period. The instinct to wait and see whether a small thing gets worse is the most common way people lose cover they were entitled to. Report anything in writing as soon as you see it, with a photograph and a date, even when you are not sure it is a defect. It costs nothing and it preserves the claim. What to look for in the first month, and which observations are worth reporting, is in what to report and when. Who is actually standing behind it A warranty is a promise from an entity. If that entity stops trading, the promise goes with it, and warranties are frequently issued by companies with a shorter trading history than the term they are offering. Ask how long the business has operated under its current name. Ask who honours the warranty if the crew that did the work has moved on. Ask whether they still service your area, because a company that has retreated to a smaller radius will not drive out for a callback. The wider set of vetting questions is in choosing a contractor, and the version of this conversation that a committee has to have is in what a board needs before a vote. The documentation you have to keep Warranty claims are won and lost on paperwork. Keep the signed proposal with the scope in it, the product data sheets for every coat, the invoices, the written maintenance instructions, and a record of maintenance you have done, including sealer renewals with dates. Take photographs at handover, across the whole area in good flat light. When something appears two years later, the argument is almost always about whether it was there at the start, and a dated photograph ends that argument in about ten seconds. What to ask before you sign Question What a good answer sounds like Is this material, workmanship, or both? Both, stated separately, with separate terms What are the exclusions, in full? A written list, handed over before signing How are my existing cracks treated? Named by category, in the scope Is cover prorated or full for the term? Stated plainly either way How long do I have to report a problem? A stated period, in the document Does it transfer if I sell? Yes or no, with any conditions written down What maintenance is required to keep it valid? Specific products and intervals, in writing Who honours it if you are
