Rusting Spots on Driveway
 

I have several very small spots on my driveway that are surrounded by rust discoloration. The spots appear around nail heads the size of finishing nails. Any ideas on how to cover these so the rust stops. I can get the rust marks out, but they come back. It’s a home that is less than a few months old but I don’t believe it’s a warranty issue since it’s really minor, but irritating to me.

Wait till a couple of years when chips start falling out you’ll really be irritated.

Trying to figure out why there are nails in your driveway. A lot of the rust spots are caused by the iron in fertilizer that lands on the driveway when they broadcast it. You can use Iron Out, available at Lowes. Muriatic acid also work.

Short of removing the nails I don’t know that you’d be able to stop the rust from returning. You might try coating them with some type of lacquer.

I would call the Warranty Dept.

In my opinion, it is definitely a warranty issue.

OP, I have a treatment that can be applied to rusting metal to slow or stop this, I have used it for years when rebuilding and repairing cars. One this is dried, then i usually apply a ZINC based primer, and then the final coat of paint. In your case, maybe KILZ, followed by the suitable final color. I can give you a little of the rust treatment, if you bring over a small container, send me a PM.

I have two spots as well. If yours is the same, I’m pretty sure that it’s the wire twists used to hold the rebar in place that got too close to the surface when the concrete was floated and finished.

Personally, I would first give the builder an opportunity to fix the problem under your warranty. Take photos.

Many people want have their driveway painted. Having these rust stains could affect the ability to have this project done. Would a driveway painting company guarantee that the rust won't seep through the painted surface? I doubt it.

That would be an indication of poor or improper workmanship. Warranty issue. Re-pour to get it right?

Maybe so. I never turned it in to warranty, (probably should have), so I don’t know how they would handle it. Sometimes they offer a choice of money or replacement for certain issues, like flooring problems, but not sure about concrete.

Would be interesting to see how they would handle it. They would try to blow it off as nothing since warranty work costs money. But, imho, items rusting in your concrete can weaken it and cause it to fail. But, even if it is only deemed cosmetic, they should still fix it in a proper manner.

Thanks all. I think I'm going to contact the warranty department tomorrow to see what they will do to resolve.

Best of luck to you.

If you don’t mind, let us know how they address it. Good luck.

If you apply fertilizer, ensure to thoroughly sweep the driveway. The tiny granules will leave rust sports on concrete.