Concrete Repair
Concrete is a great building material. Most people use concrete to build their homes or businesses because of the great durability it provides. But concrete has also its cons which are a weak resistance to stress. Concrete can do really well when it comes to compression but fails when it comes to tension. That is why the concrete at your driveway or garage floor might have developed cracks. Because under the weight of car traffic and foot traffic, and the pressure against the soil, stretches the concrete and makes it fail to some points, developing cracks. But there is nothing that cannot be fixed so let us show you how we do the concrete repair.
Clean the Cracks
Make sure to clean everything before you start with the filling process. The concrete should be cleaned of any debris, dirt or dust that might interfere with the filling. To better do the cleaning use a wire brush and remove any obstacles. Then you can clean the crack with a pressure washer to make sure that everything is removed. But don’t leave the crack wet when you start working on to fix it. Make sure it’s either dry or damp.
Sealing
Before you start filling the crack at first you should seal the concrete. The sealing is going to make sure that the concrete is going to be resistant to weather and corrosion. Sealing the cracks is also going to make sure that the filler is not going to leak out of the crack. The crack can be sealed by using a polyester sealer which is not that expensive. You should give it time to work on it and let the sealer do its job. If you don’t seal the crack chances are that it is going to develop again in a short period of time.
Patching the Crack
Start by preparing the concrete mixing sand and cement with some water. Keep mixing them until a creamy substance is formed which shows that the concrete is ready to be applied. Make sure that the crack is damp before you start pouring in the concrete. Start pouring the concrete on all sides and by using a wood block to level up the wet concrete. Give it a few days for it to dry and then maybe it is ready for sanding if the surface of it is too rough.
Curing
After the concrete is all dry then you can start with the curing process. This is where you need to seal the surface again with an agent or you can even apply a coat of cement or mortar. The reason for applying the coat is to protect the surface from moisture, water and external damages that might happen. If you decide to apply a coat of mortar then make sure that the concrete is sealed again, because the sealer is going to make sure the mortar will hold.
