Concrete restoration: A basic howto guide
If you have had a concrete driveway, foundation, or structure, you may have noticed that over the years, your concrete happens to be damaged, or has developed gaps or cracks. This is often common-but it has to be taken care of before it worsens.
Typically, concrete issues originate from weather problems and/or consistent use. If, for example, you reside in a very high-humidity climate with salt in the air, such as Florida or Hawaii, you could possibly experience difficulties with your concrete. Concrete is porous naturally, and if you have never painted your concrete with waterproof paint, your concrete will absorb both salt and moisture through the air. Subsequently, your rebar (steel reinforcing bars) will rust and expand. Once this happens, your concrete will “spall”, or break away from your building.
Depending on the severity of your concrete issues, you can either restore it yourself or hire a concrete restoration firm to help. To fix a sizable crack on your own, you must remove any damaged concrete you could have. (Always wear eye protection by using safety goggles.) For this, you’ll need a chisel, a hammer, as well as some cement. Together with your chisel and hammer, you can chip away the concrete where it’s been damaged about an inch deep.
Next, “undercut” the damaged area’s edges. To do so, widen the bottom of the cavity (but not the top), to ensure the walls of the cavity are angled inward as they slope up.
Now, remove all of the rubble and debris from the region that will need repair, and keep it wet. Let a small amount of water drip into the cavity for 8 or more hours, or sprinkle some water in the area manually every few hours for an additional day.
Finally, you are prepared to fix the area. Use your cement and mix it thick-approximately 1 part water to three parts cement. It should be like a paste instead of a liquid. Set it aside for now. Then, mix some cement a bit thinner, in order to use it to coat the walls, or inside edges, of the cavity. Do this as fast as you are able to, while still taking the time to do it right, as the cement will dry reasonably fast.
Now, makes use of the thicker cement to fill your entire cavity. Let it set for a couple of hours. Then, cover it with plastic wrap and wet it 2-3 times daily for 7 days. This will “cure” the cement.
And you’re done!
If it is a great deal of work, or you have a big crack, we recommend calling a highly trained concrete restoration firm. To locate a reputable firm, call a number of different companies. Request references and previous projects. Consider the projects they’ve done before-are any of them similar to the project you would like to have completed? Check prices, but don’t use price as the only definitive indicator. The best concrete restoration company is going to be definitely worth the cost to you, and more, because they could possibly foresee conditions that may happen in the future and fix those, too.
For additional information about concrete restoration, please click any of the links in this article.
Processing your request, Please wait....
