Concrete Repair Solutions To Improve Your Pavement Surfaces
Your concrete sidewalks, patio, steps, and driveway all provide you with years of use and service as long as they were installed and cured properly. However, from time to time your concrete surfaces will begin to show cracking damage in areas or have some of the surface crumble and expose the underlying aggregate, which are all not ideal conditions for your concrete surface to be in. You can update and improve your old and damage concrete surfaces with some preparation and a little bit of invested time. Here are some recommendations to help you to do so and make your concrete pavement look great again.
Repair Cracks Properly
Cracks running through your concrete pavement start out thin and can grow slowly until they are a wide gap in your pavement that can shift and get out of alignment, causing the concrete to become unstable. When you have some time, you can patch and fill any cracks and prevent them from growing further to cause more damage, which can save your concrete.
First, prepare the concrete crack by brushing out any loose pieces and chunks of concrete with a wire brush. Also sweep out any dirt that may have settled in the crack. It is best to chisel out the interior of the crack so it is wider than the opening. This creates a larger pocket inside the crack to enable the patch filler to remain more stable. Use a chisel and a sledgehammer to help you undercut the crack, then rinse clean the repair area.
A vinyl concrete patch mixture is the best option to fill your concrete's cracks, as it will be more flexible in the crack as a filler. Press it fully into the crack with a trowel to remove any air pockets, then smooth it level with the surrounding concrete.
Apply a New Surface Finish
Another type of repair you may want to handle on your aging concrete is to resurface its crumbling surface. Surface spalling can leave the surface of your concrete rough and uneven.
Use a concrete surface patch mixture to re coat the surface of the concrete. First, you should clean the concrete surface with a pavement cleaner to remove any chemicals or debris. The concrete patch compound adheres best when the existing surface is wet, so moisten the surface if it has dried and apply the mixture onto the area. Use a trowel or a length of lumber to level the repair area. be sure the edges of the repair are feathered over the existing concrete so the patch blends in nicely.
If you want a professional to do your concrete repair for you, contact a professional near you.