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Repairing Concrete on Your Own..It's Easier than You Think |
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Written by Greg Handchild
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Monday, 05 October 2009 13:03 |
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Concrete is a great surface for sidewalks, driveways, and patios; however, most homeowners know all to well the issues that surround it. Overtime, everyone is expected to see holes, cracks, chips, and areas of broken concrete. The causes for these problems most commonly include normal wear and tear; however, bad weather may be to blame too. Whatever the problem with a concrete surface, repairs are needed for safety reasons. For most homeowners, the first choice is to hire a professional contractor, but this can be a big and costly hassle. Instead, you can take the time to familiarize yourself with do-it-yourself concrete repair; you might be surprised how much time and money you save.
by GregHandchild
Concrete is a great surface for sidewalks, driveways, and patios; however, most homeowners know all to well the issues that surround it. Overtime, everyone is expected to see holes, cracks, chips, and areas of broken concrete. The causes for these problems most commonly include normal wear and tear; however, bad weather may be to blame too. Whatever the problem with a concrete surface, repairs are needed for safety reasons. For most homeowners, the first choice is to hire a professional contractor, but this can be a big and costly hassle. Instead, you can take the time to familiarize yourself with do-it-yourself concrete repair; you might be surprised how much time and money you save.
Do-it-yourself concrete pair is a fairly easy process to learn and it is cheap. For a traditional sized sidewalk, driveway, or patio, you are looking at a problem that can be finished in one weekend. The materials needed for repairs are easy to find at local home improvement and hardware stores. When buying the supplies yourself, you avoid the markups usually charged by contractors and you avoid costly labor fees. Small repairs, such as a simple crack or a small chip, will not require much money.
For small repairs, you will only need a small number of supplies. Portland cement and water is all you will need. You can repair small cracks by moistening the area and applying the grout to the affected area. Allow it to dry completely. You will have a seamless repair that took you no time to complete at very little expense.
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.
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