Concrete guy convinced me to stop using fiber mesh in my driveways

I used to throw fiber mesh into every pour. Then I had a job out in Leduc last spring and the finisher, older guy named Gord, pointed at a hairline crack that showed up the next day. He said 'that fiber didn't do nothing for that crack, did it?' and explained how rebar or wire mesh handles actual movement while fiber is just for plastic shrinkage. Watched him fix a wide crack on a 3 year old driveway that had nothing but fiber. Switched to wire mesh on my last two residential jobs and haven't looked back. Anyone else find fiber mesh overhyped by the suppliers?

2 comments

2 Comments

olivia_wilson18h ago

Three year old driveway already cracking wide open?

rowanw3125m ago

YES, the "cracking wide open" part is EXACTLY what happened to mine. I had a brand new driveway put in and within two years there were these massive splits running through it like a spider web. It's honestly infuriating because you pay all that money expecting it to LAST and instead you get this mess. I bet yours has those deep cracks too where water gets in and makes it worse every winter freeze. It's just cheap workmanship and bad materials these days, nobody takes pride in their job anymore.