Old concrete asks one question: is the problem the surface, the slab, or the ground? Richmond's clay makes the third option more common than owners expect, and it changes the right answer completely. Here is the sorting logic a contractor uses on the first walk.
Cosmetic wear: the surface tier
Discoloration, light scaling, algae staining, and hairline crazing on a flat, solid slab are appearance problems. Cleaning, resurfacing overlays, and sealer buy back the look for a fraction of replacement — the classic before-listing move for older Richmond homes.
Movement: the clay tier
Sections tilted or dropped — at the garage apron, along a downspout line, over an old utility trench — usually mean the clay moved, not that the concrete failed. Sound slabs lift back to grade with mud- or foam-jacking at a fraction of new-pour cost. The lift lasts when the water problem that caused it gets fixed the same week.
Failure: the replacement tier
Random cracking across the whole surface, spalling through to aggregate, corners breaking free, offsets past a trip hazard: the slab body is done. Patching a failed slab is a subscription; replacement — with proper base, air-entrained mix, and drainage — is a purchase.
The half-rule and the bundle discount
Repairs above half of replacement cost on an old slab settle the argument. And if multiple sections are borderline, price the full replacement — mobilization is a fixed cost, and per-foot pricing drops when the truck only comes once.
The first-walk shortcut
Stand at the worst section and ask: surface, movement, or failure? Then match the tier — resurface, lift, or replace. Photos of the section plus a straightedge across any offset get you a professional read before anyone rolls a truck.
