Ask what is actually broken, the top or the ground
Every driveway that looks bad is failing in one of two places: the surface, or the ground underneath it. A worn top layer, shallow flaking, or tight cracks that stay level are a surface problem, and a surface problem can often be resurfaced. A driveway where the ground has actually moved is a different job entirely, because nothing put on top of moving ground stays flat for long.
The check that tells you which one you have
Level is the test. Run a hand across a crack and feel for a step from one side to the other. Watch a panel near an edge or a corner when you drive or walk over it, and see if it rocks or gives slightly underfoot. Look at where water sits after a hard rain, a low spot that used to be flat and now holds a puddle is often the first visible sign that something underneath has settled.
Any one of those, a step at a crack, a panel that moves, a new low spot, means the ground under the slab has shifted. None of them are cosmetic, and none of them get fixed by anything applied to the top. That is the difference between a shrinkage crack, which is normal and cosmetic, and a settlement crack, where the ground itself has moved and one side sits higher than the other.
What shallow surface failure looks like, and where resurfacing fits
Shallow spalling, worn or faded color, and hairline cracks that follow a joint line with both sides still flush are cosmetic. They are the kind of wear a driveway earns just from being used for years, not a sign the ground failed. A bonded resurfacer, a thin cementitious layer applied over the existing slab, can restore that surface when what is underneath it is still solid and flat.
An overlay works the same way in principle, a fresh layer bonded to what is already there, and both depend entirely on the same thing: a base that is not moving. Neither one adds structure the original slab did not have.
Why a fresh layer over a bad base just repeats the problem
A resurfacing layer has nothing to do with why the ground underneath moved in the first place. If the base is still soft, still holding water, or still settling, the new layer moves right along with the old slab beneath it, and whatever crack was there usually shows back through within a season or two. Fixing that means dealing with the ground itself, which only happens once the old concrete comes out. Our tear out and replacement page walks through what that actually involves.
Call before you decide which one it is
The check above will point you the right direction, but it is worth a second set of eyes before you commit either way, since a step you can barely feel can still mean movement, and a rough looking surface can still be sitting on ground that never moved at all. Call and describe what the driveway is doing, or send a photo of the spot that worries you, and we will tell you honestly which one it needs. Whichever route it turns out to be, the free written estimate spells it out, along with the workmanship warranty, with the exact terms confirmed on that same page.