How To Repair A Pebbled Sidewalk

How to Ready Sidewalks That Are Chipped and Pitted

Updated: Jun. 24, 2022

Curlicue down your sleeves and put on a dust mask. Making a durable patch is a dusty, grimy thing.

FH00FEB_CHIPCO_01-2 Family Handyman

Extend the life of onetime concrete by fixing broken, crumbling areas before the trouble gets worse. A properly washed repair will last decades. Nosotros'll evidence you how to create a durable concrete patch to fix 2 of the most common issues: spalling and broken corners.

Physical Patch: Size up the job before y'all brainstorm

Masonry blade

A corundum masonry blade grinds through concrete, merely slowly. A diamond bract costs more merely cuts much faster.

Concrete is hard stuff, but don't let that intimidate you lot. With the proper tools and techniques we show in our photograph series, fifty-fifty a novice tin make a durable patch, first try. Sawing concrete with a special masonry blade (opening photo) may be new to you, but if you've handled a round saw, you lot'll quickly get the hang of it. It's less hazardous than sawing wood. Notwithstanding, the blade kicks up an incredibly thick cloud of annoying grit, and so be sure to clothing goggles to protect your eyes, ear protection, gloves and a dust mask, as well every bit quondam wearing apparel.

Size up the job start. Before showtime any repair, appraise the full general condition of the concrete slab. (See "Patch or Supercede? " below) Sometimes the best strategy is to break out an entire section and repour information technology with new concrete rather than patch information technology. Patching works all-time for local damage in otherwise sound concrete.

We won't deal with the other mutual problem, cracks. Yous can repair them exactly as we bear witness here, but they'll most likely return unless you can stabilize the concrete slab to prevent the motility that acquired the cracks in the beginning place.

If this is your first concrete repair projection, allow about a one-half day to pick up materials and complete two to three patches. It took us about four hours from offset to finish to complete the two repairs nosotros show here.

Consummate the chore during comfortable working atmospheric condition, ideally in dry atmospheric condition with a temperature between 50 and 80 degrees F. Both you and fresh concrete happen to concur on this i. Fresh concrete is easiest to handle and hardens best (a process technically called "setting" and "curing") in this temperature range. Colder conditions lengthens the setting fourth dimension; freezing temperatures can ruin the concrete. Hotter atmospheric condition causes faster setting and drying; the slab may harden before you lot can smooth it. Or the surface tin dry as well fast and not harden properly, eventually causing it to spall. In hot conditions, work in the cooler mornings or in the shade.

Patch or Replace?

Should you patch your old physical or completely tear it out and repour information technology? While at that place's no hard and fast rule, hither are some tips to guide your conclusion:

Assess the severity of the damage. If your driveway is total of spalled areas and broken edges, the surface is probably severely weakened. It'll proceed to deteriorate, and chances are the patches won't terminal.
Call in a physical contractor (Search "Physical Contractors" on your browser) to help you assess the situation and enquire for a price on complete replacement. But go along in heed that contractors are in the business of selling concrete. With their labor costs, it'southward unremarkably cheaper for them to supplant than repair. We had trouble finding a contractor who would even do patching.
Is appearance of import? A patch will be lighter-colored than the old concrete. Fifty-fifty after weathering for a few years, the new patch will probably even so stand out. One way to hibernate the patch is to stain the entire surface to alloy the old with the new. Just yous'll have to renew the stain periodically.
How much are you willing to spend? Material costs for a repair are low. Pros would want to completely supercede the slab to insure a high quality result. The cost would be substantial.

Repair spalled areas: Cut out the damage

Photograph 1: Cutting around the chipped area

Cut a 3/viii-in. to ½-in. deep "shoulder" around the border of the spalled area with a saw and masonry blade. Move the saw slowly every bit yous cut. Make sure you cut back into solid concrete to ensure a potent bonding surface.

Photograph ii: Chisel out weak areas

Intermission out all weak and loose concrete with a maul and cold chisel. Abrupt concrete chips will come up flying out, and then wear condom goggles.

Photo iii: Brush away debris

Clean the chips and dust from the repair area with a broom or store vacuum. Be thorough. So mix the patching cloth.

"Spalling" is the mason's term for concrete that's pitted or chipped, as in Photo 1. The primal to a lasting repair is to make a saw cut around the perimeter of the damaged area, cutting back to solid concrete. The cut should be at least 3/eight in. deep: Most repairs that fail exercise and so considering the patch is too sparse at the edges and breaks off. Set a masonry blade (run into above) at a v-degree angle and then the cutout is slightly wider at the bottom than at the top. This helps "lock in" the patch (Photo 1). Slowly guide the saw through the concrete. The masonry blade grinds a groove, so don't put a lot of pressure on the saw; let the bract practise the piece of work. Cut about one/4 in. on each pass. A diamond dust bract can cutting the concrete most v times faster than a masonry bract, and it won't wear out as fast. Simply it too costs more. The extra cost is worth it if you have more than about ten ft. of concrete to cut. Or save money—and time—by renting a diamond bract (near a day, plus wear fee), or a physical saw with diamond blade.

Tip: Yous'll enhance an impressive dust cloud when sawing, and so shut upwards nearby windows and doors. Otherwise, you'll be housecleaning, as well!

Once y'all've cut and thoroughly cleaned loose concrete from the repair area (Photos 2 and three), moisten the expanse with a wet sponge before packing in the physical mix. Don't leave continuing water in the patch surface area; use but plenty to dampen the old concrete and assist it bond to the new.

Repair spalled areas: Pack in the repair mix

Photo iv: Moisten and fill

Moisten the patch area with a wet sponge. Then pack in the patch mix with a forest bladder. Leave the mix slightly higher than the surface of the old concrete.

Photo 5: Screed off the excess

Screed off the excess cloth by sliding a board side to side in a sawing motion while pushing it forrard. If you find low spots, pack in more than mix and screed off again.

Photo 6: Let the concrete stiffen

Test the compactness of the patch past lightly pressing your pollex on the surface. When your thumb no longer leaves an indentation, go alee and finish the surface.

Photo seven: Float the surface

Lucifer the texture of the quondam, rough concrete by rubbing the surface of the patch with a sponge float. Apply a steel trowel for a smooth finish or a stiff bristle broom for a lightly grooved finish.

Photograph 8: Embrace with plastic

Cover the patch with plastic to retain the moisture. Weight down the edges to continue the plastic from blowing off. Concrete requires moisture to cure properly.

For your patching mix, employ either a prepackaged sand mix or concrete mix, depending on the depth of the patch. (Run into "Use the Correct Patching Mix, " below.) Each lx-lb. purse makes about 1/2 cu. ft. of concrete, plenty for a 2-in. thick patch about 1 ft. broad by three ft. long. Judge the book of patching cloth by multiplying judge length, width and thickness (in feet) to arrive at cubic feet, and buy a fleck more you call up you'll need. Better to have too much than to autumn a few scoops curt!

Mix it with water and acrylic fortifier, following the mixing directions on the package. The fortifier strengthens the new physical and helps information technology bond better to the old concrete. The mix should be just wet enough to hold together when information technology's troweled into the repair. Don't add together too much water. It'll consequence in weaker concrete.

We used a normal sand mix, which sets difficult enough to walk on in nearly a mean solar day or 2. Information technology continues to cure and harden for weeks. If you take to use the area right away, you can buy a special fast-setting concrete, which hardens in well-nigh an hour. It costs about twice as much and yous won't accept as long to spread and shine information technology, so stick to the regular mix when possible. Virtually building supply dealers that comport regular concrete as well conduct the fast-setting blazon. After mixing the concrete, pack it firmly into the repair area using a woods float (Photograph iv), the tighter the amend. Mound the mix so it's slightly higher than the old physical. Then immediately level it fifty-fifty with the quondam concrete using a straight board (Photograph 5).

Brainstorm end trowel work when the surface moisture starts to evaporate and the patch begins to harden. Information technology may only be 10 minutes on a warm day or maybe an hour on a cool day. I sign of evaporation is the loss of some of the surface gloss. When the patch appears to exist getting potent, test information technology with your pollex (Photo 6). Once the surface is about as stiff as the skin of a grapefruit, begin the terminate work. Nosotros used a sponge float (Photo vii) to match the slightly rough texture of the old concrete. A sponge float has a rough rubber surface. If y'all desire a smooth surface, use a steel trowel; for a lightly grooved advent, elevate a stiff-bristle broom beyond the surface.

Afterwards using a bladder on the surface, cover the patch with plastic for 2 days. The plastic helps the physical retain the moisture, which the concrete needs to cure and strengthen (Photo 8).

CAUTION!

Wet concrete is highly alkaline and can cause severe burns to blank skin. Immediately wash off whatever that gets on your pare with absurd water.

Use the Correct Patching Mix

Concrete mix consists of sand, gravel and Portland cement. The gravel reduces shrinkage, then it won't crack every bit readily when laid in thick. Yet information technology may not bond well in thin layers. Sand mix (sometimes chosen topping mix) consists of sand and Portland cement. Information technology'southward easier to trowel in thinner layers (to about i/four in. minimum) for thinner patches or patches with thinner edges. However, if you apply it thicker than ii in., its natural shrinkage might cause it to crevice or break the bond with the old physical. In a nutshell: Apply a sand mix for repairs less than ii in. deep. Use a concrete mix for repairs deeper than 2 in. Replace 50 to 80 percent of the h2o with the acrylic fortifier in either mix to improve the patch's bonding forcefulness.

Physical Patch: Repair broken corners

Photo nine: Cut effectually the stride damage

Square off the edges of the broken stride with a masonry blade. Chip out loose and weak concrete with a cold chisel.

Close-up of Photograph 9

Cut the underside of the break too to make a firm ledge.

Photo x: Form the repair and pack in patching mix

Anchor a course lath against the side of the stride, moisten the area and pack in the repair mix. Screed off the excess patching material.

Photo 11: Circular the edge

Slide an edging tool along the step edge to round it. Employ the edging tool only if the old pace portion has a rounded edge.

Use the same bones patching technique for a broken corner as for spalled areas, but add together iii central steps.

Create a ledge for the patch to make a stronger bail with the old concrete (Photos 9 and 10). Don't be afraid to brand the cutout well across the edges of the original damaged surface area. Smaller patches simply won't hold equally well equally larger ones.
Prop a wood grade tightly confronting the vertical portion of the step to hold the concrete patch in place (Photo 10). Block the form against the step with bricks or other heavy objects. Tip: Glaze the wood form with motor oil or WD-40 to keep the concrete from sticking to the forest.
When the concrete begins to ready, use the edging tool to create a slightly rounded edge to match the step (Photo 11). Then remove the course board (carefully, considering the concrete is yet soft) and finish all exposed surfaces with a float or trowel to match the texture of the old concrete. Cover the patch with plastic and let it cure for at least 2 days before walking on information technology.

Required Tools for this concrete patch projection

Have the necessary tools for this DIY project lined up before you lot get-go—you'll relieve time and frustration.

Y'all volition also need a 2lb. maul, wood float, sponge float, edging tool, broom and a masonry blade.

Required Materials for this concrete patch project

Avert last-minute shopping trips by having all your materials fix ahead of time. Hither's a listing.

Originally Published: June 24, 2022