The In’s & Out’s of Concrete Repair
Saturday, October 3, 2009 1:36Anyone who has ever owned a home is familiar with the issues surrounding concrete patios, driveways and sidewalks. Eventually everyone will see chips, cracks, broken areas or holes. This is due to normal wear and tear over the years and inclement weather may also contribute to this problem. The result is an unsightly and sometimes even hazardous surface that needs to be fixed. You can always hire a contractor to repair the area but this can be costly and a great hassle. Instead, you can save both money and time by learning to do concrete repair yourself.
The process is fairly simple and inexpensive. For a regular sized surface of a driveway, sidewalk or patio, it should only be a weekend?s worth of work. The materials you will need can be purchased at any hardware or home improvement store. The supplies are relatively inexpensive and you will save a lot of money on labor fees by doing it yourself. Depending on the severity of the issue, you may not spend much money at all.
For those above mentioned small repairs, only a limited number of supplies are needed. All you need is water and cement. For concrete crack repairs, just moisten the area and then apply grout to the affected area. The final step is to let it dry completely; do not touch or walk on the area while drying. The end result is a small, simple repair that only took about an hours worth of your time at a very affordable cost.
For larger repairs such as chips, large cracks and holes, you will need to smooth out the area first, remove any old concrete and fill the area so you have a level surface to work with first. This can be done with hand tools and gravel which is all easily attainable at a home improvement store. The process for concrete repair is similar just on a slightly larger scale. You will need to moisten the area so it is damp and apply the cement to the surface. Make sure the surface is smooth and it is not exposed to any traffic or debris until it is entirely dry.
For concrete areas that are in severe disrepair, you may want to consider repairing any significant holes first then applying an overlay or resurfacing mixture to the entire area. Even if you have a large area to repair or need to do an entire resurfacing job, you will still save a lot of money and time by doing it yourself. The process to repair concrete is simple and inexpensive. In one weekend you can turn the unsightly area into a brand new looking surface.
