How to Repair a Cracked Sidewalk.Cement sidewalks can provide a nice looking addition to a home.But they arent just attractive they also add value to a property.Unfortunately, a characteristic of cement that many people arent aware of is that its porous and it will absorb water.Over the seasons, water can get into the surface of a cement walkway and with melting and freezing cycles, the moisture can actually cause cracks in the cement.Luckily, fixing cracks in a cement sidewalk isnt a difficult job, well within the skill set of most homeowners, and the tools and supplies are readily available at your local home store.Fixing Small Hairline Cracks.Chip the surface of the concrete to remove any high material, and to create a rough surface for the repair cement mixture to bond to.For small jobs, a chipping.A small crack anything less than 14 is really straightforward to repair.You can fill the crack with premixed concrete crack filler that comes in tubes similar to caulking, or by mixing up a paste of Portland cement and water.No matter what youre going to use to repair the crack, the first step is to clean out any dirt or other mess thats in the crack.Spray water into the crack and use a stiff broom to clear it out.If youre using a tube of crack filler, follow the manufacturers directions about how to use the product. 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How To Repair Cracks In Cement Steps' title='How To Repair Cracks In Cement Steps' />How To Repair Cracked Grout.Anyone thats installed ceramic tile knows that after time you may find narrow cracks in the grout lines.Typically this happens where.In general, you insert the tube into a caulking gun, cut off the tip of the container, and fill the crack up to overflowing.Then you scrape the surface smooth and let it set up as directed by the manufacturer.You may need to fill the crack a couple of times as the filler might settle.If youre going to use your own mixture of Portland cement and water, its a good idea to soak the cement around the crack with your hose so the cement is damp when you go to repair the crack.This extra moisture will stop the surrounding dry cement from literally pulling water out of the patching cement.Prepare your cement mixture so it has the consistency of a thick paste.Use a putty knife to force it well down into the crack and then smooth the surface.Leave the repair alone for a couple of hours, then spray it lightly with water and cover the patch with a plastic sheet.Once a day for the next two or three days, remove the plastic sheet and lightly spray the patch.Keeping it moist will allow the cement repair to dry slowly cure and solid.Fixing Larger Cracks.If your walkway has a larger crack, you can repair it with a similar process, but there are a couple of extra steps involved.Once again, start by cleaning out the crack using the stiff broom and a hose, or even a pressure washer, to flush all the dirt out.Your next step is to widen the base of the existing crack to help hold your concrete patch in place.Use a cold chisel and a hammer to chip out concrete along the bottom edges of the crackyou want to end up with an inverted V shape with the sides of the crack widening out at the bottom.Clean out any concrete chips or dust and thoroughly soak the crack with your hose here again, you want the concrete around the crack to be damp but dont leave any standing water in the crack.Its a good idea to apply a concrete adhesive to the walls of the crack so the new concrete will bond solidly with the old.Paint the adhesive along both sides and the bottom of the crack with an old paintbrush and let it sit for a few minutes until the adhesive becomes tacky.Apply your concrete patching mixture with a metal trowel and be sure to pack it tightly into the expanded crack.Smooth the surface and allow the patch to dry for a couple of hours.After the patch has dried for a while, spray the area lightly with your hose and cover with a plastic sheet, removing it once a day to dampen the patch.After four days you can remove the plastic and expose the now cured concrete to the elements.Patching Holes in a Concrete Sidewalk.If the hole is small and shallow less than 14 all you will need to do is clean it thoroughly and wet the edges, then add and level cement patching material.Be sure to cover the repair and keep it moist while it cures just like your crack repairs.If your sidewalk has a large deep hole say 12 or more you should follow the undercutting process described above widen out the bottom of the exposed concrete with your cold chisel so the patch will actually get under some of the existing concrete.In addition, you should also fill the bottom of the hole with sand or gravel that you tamp down solidly to give your patch a firm base.Wetting the sand before tamping it will help to give you that solid base.An alternative product that can be used instead of filling with sand and topping with patching material is latex cement.Its made up of two components Portland cement and a latex binder that you mix together to form a quick setting, durable cement.Latex cement is sand based no gravel so its easy to trowel smooth.In shallow holes 14 just use your metal trowel to pack the latex cement into the hole and level the surface.On deeper holes, apply the latex cement in layers of about 14 to 12 inch and allow it to set up before applying the next layer.Once again, keep the patch moist for a few days while it cures.As you can see, repairing cracked or damaged sidewalks isnt a difficult job the patch just requires a little maintenance or TLC for a few days.While it might be tempting to not keep the repair moist while the patch cures, dont try it.If the new cement doesnt get the chance to properly cure, it will quickly break down and youll be right back where you started, if not worse.
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September 2018
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