If you have a really ugly concrete porch stoop there are all kinds of things to bring it back to life and add curb appeal to your home. Depending on your skill level and your pocket book, that can determine the look you end up with on your stoop. Here are some suggestions.
Painting the area is possible. Make sure you use an anti-slip agent in the paint and be ready to paint every few years.
Masonry stain is also an option. Stain is not slippery like paint and will not peel but will fade over time.
Masonry overlay that is tinted a color. Will smooth things out and add color that is built it. Overlays can be stamped to give it different appearances.
Porcelain Tile and Nature Stone products can be installed which is more expensive but will give you a real Wow factor!
We paint our house, and seal our deck, so do we need to seal our concrete?
We paint our house, and seal our deck, so do we need to seal our concrete? The answer is Yes! It is a good idea to seal the concrete every 3 to 5 years. Unless you have stamped concrete or an exposed aggregate concrete I would recommend a penetrating sealer. The penetrating seal does just that, it penetrates into the surface of the concrete. In fact after it dries you cannot even tell anything has been applied. Sealing concrete helps prevent staining and spalling. It can be applied with a tank sprayer and then brush or roll into the surface if it is necessary. The sealer should never be allowed to puddle or it will be shiny and subject to peeling. Always power wash the surface before sealing. If you are using a water base sealer make sure to apply when the surface dry from water and morning dew.
When anchoring something into a brick wall is it better to install the anchor in the brick or the mortar?
I could answer it by saying it depends but in most cases it is better to anchor into the mortar joint. Brick is sometimes soft and can crumble or hard and it can crack with the use of a hammer drill. If something does go wrong and the brick cracks you have a problem. If something goes wrong in the mortar joint it is easy to repair. So drill the hole with a hammer drill into the mortar joint, before inserting the anchor put some silicone or epoxy filler in the hole and set the anchor. This will insure a snug and permanent fit.
Building a concrete sidewalk is not too tough . . .here are some pointers
Building a concrete sidewalk is not too tough so here goes. First, remove the sod where the side walk is going to be installed. If the sidewalk is next to the house make sure it slopes away from the house. Install stakes and strings to make sure the depth is the same throughout the walkway. Pour 4 to 5 inches of compactable gravel as the subase for the sidewalk. You will then build a 2 by 4 frame set on edge to form the concrete. Make sure to dampen the gravel base before installing the concrete. Using a concrete mix or a fiber concrete mixpour into the framed area of the sidewalk. Settle the concrete by using a spade along the frame of the sidewalk. Smooth the concrete with a 2 by 4 and a wood float. Shape the edges of the walkway with edger trowel and then cut control joints about every 30 inches.The control joints allow for controlled cracking in those joints.
It seems like the concrete surfaces around our home always need some type of repair.
It seems like the concrete surfaces around our home always need some type of repair. Most patching cements have limitations like; only apply up to 3/8” thick or use only on horizontal surfaces. I found a very versatile patching cement called Quikrete Zip and Mix Mortar Repair. The name is based on how easy the product is to use. You zip open the bag, add water, knead the bag for 3 minutes and you are ready to go. That’s nice what it does to solve concrete issue is really cool. This is a fast setting concrete repair mortar that is Polymer modified. That means you can us on vertical surfaces like step risers and it sticks to the old concrete. The best part is it can be applied up to 2” thick. I have used this and it spreads very nicely.
Concrete pavements have a high ratio of exposed surface area to volume of concrete. Proper curing procedures and durations must be strictly adhered to in order to ensure adequate strength and durable scale-resistant concrete. Curing procedures should begin as soon as possible after the finishing operations are complete. Clear or whited pigmented liquid-membrane curing compounds, waterproof paper, plastic covers, polyethylene sheets, and dampened burlap or cotton mats are all acceptable methods for curing concrete. For concrete pavements, the liquid-membrane curing compounds are most commonly used because of convenience and cost effectiveness. The curing compounds should be applied after the water film has evaporated from the surface. For daily mean ambient temperatures above 40F (5C) the recommended minimum period of maintenance of moisture and temperature for all procedures is 7 days.
Patios and sidewalks made of pavers make a great looking walkway. How you seal the pavers or the sand you use can make a difference in the success of the job.Sealers that are designed for pavers will create a sheen to the pavers and the sealer should also solidify the sand to eliminate ants from tunneling in the sand and prevent weeds from growing in the sand between the pavers.
PowerLoc sand can also be used in the installation of the pavers that will prevent these problems.This type of sand will also not track into the home. When installed dampen the PowerLoc sand with water and in becomes rigid and eliminates a lot of problems normally caused by paver sand.
Horizontal concrete surfaces should be sealed every 3-5years.If you stamped concrete the same is true but the sealers are different.First test the concrete to see if any sealer is still in the concrete. Pour water onto the surface and if it soaks in the sealer is gone.If the water puddles the sealer is still in the concrete. Old sealer must be removed, a bonding etching agent should be used. Use soap and water if the sealer is out of the concrete.Rinse all cleaner from the surface before applying a high solid gloss or wet look sealer.This can be applied in 3 ft sections and a second coat should be applied after 3 hours of dry time to give it look you desire.
If the surface of your concrete driveway or sidewalk is popping off that is what is known as Spalling.If you do not repair this problem you will see the problem become worse over time.To patch the spalled area, begin my cleaning the effected area of any loose debris.A vinyl concrete patch contains a bonder to adhere the patch to the old concrete.This type of patch comes in powder form and is mixed with water.Trowel the patching material over the area and allow to dry.The patch can be feather edged down to a 32nd of an inch so the transition between the concrete and the patched area will be smooth.Matching the color between the patch and concrete can be the most difficult task.Color pigments can be added to the patch material to help the color blend in with the rest of the area.
One thing you're probably always fighting is concrete. It's either cracked or chunks of it have fallen off. One thing I'd like to focus on is the steps, where maybe a corner of a step has broken free from the concrete slab itself. Now there's a couple of ways to fix this. One that is most commonly recommended is to use a concrete fortifier. A concrete fortifier does just that. It fortifies the existing concrete and the new concrete, allowing it to bond together. You take the concrete fortifier, concrete mix, build a form, and pour a new corner of the step. But, in my book, that's a lot of work. So, let me recommend this. Get yourself a drill and a masonry drill bit, drills holes in and just attach some eye bolts into the existing slab. This will kind of work as rebar, helping the new concrete attach to the old concrete. Now, after you've attached these eye bolts into the existing slab, rather than using concrete mix, my recommendation is when you get to the hardware store,you're going to find all kinds of things, vinyl concrete patch, quick setting cement, and there's also a thing called anchoring cement. This is the product I'd recommend. Anchoring cement dries very rapidly, maybe about ten, twenty minutes. After the eye bolts are installed, you can take the anchoring cement and begin without a form to pack it around that corner. After about ten minutes or so you can begin to shape the anchoring cement, creating a new corner. A little less work, and I'm telling you, it works very well.
If you are doing small patching jobs on concrete, I recommend Quikrete Vinyl Concrete Patcher because the bonder is already in the patch.
#1 Cut out around the damaged area with a masonry grinding disc mounted to a portable drill. The cuts should bevel away from the center by about 15 degrees.
#2 is to always wet the area that is about to be patched.For smoothing the patching compound I recommend using a steel trowel so that it is even with the surrounding concrete surface.
#3 before the patching material has dried try and match the patch with a whisk broom to emulate a broom finish.This compound will try within hours so you have plenty of time to work it.
Yesterday I was at a friends home because they and discoloration on their concrete patio.Sure enough it was little colonies of mold and mildew.This is very common on concrete especially on the side of the home that is facing north or east.Dirt (organic material) lays on the surface of the concrete and when the dew settles in the morning, the colonies grow.If the concrete has not been sealed in a while the concrete does not dry out for an extended period of time allowing the mold to grow strong and root in the concrete. Clean the area with an enzyme product like ZymeAway www.zymeaway.com and use a street broom to scrub vigorously.You can now rinse using a powerful hose nozzle or pressure washer.Sealing the concrete will minimize a future problem because it will stop the water from soaking into the concrete and the surface will dry faster.
Great time ofyear to walk around the house and that is what we have focused on all week.The outside foundation to your home is an area to take a look at.A crack that is visible from the outside can let water into the home but it can also be a highway for ants and termites.This can easily fixed with a concrete colored caulk or a clear caulk.Now spend a little time looking at the brick and mortar of your home.This too, if not corrected can allow water to seep into the home.Missing mortar should be replaced with a mortar mix but cracks in the mortar like the foundation can also be caulked close.Pay attention to the spring rains and if the brick on your home is last to dry out it should probably be sealed.
Winter can be tough on the home so take a walk around it to spot problem areas. One area that may need your attention is that little piece of concrete between the garage door and the driveway.There always seems to be a problem with the surface of the concrete.If that is the case it needs your attention.The first step in the repair process is to clean all the dust and loose pieces of concrete from the area.When making the patch the temperature should be between 50- 85 degrees and the cement patching compound should allow you to spread it to 1/32 of an inch.This compound should also have a bonder in it which allows the patching material to stick to the concrete.Quikrete Vinyl Concrete Patcher is perfect for this job.It is a powder that is mixed with water and then apply with a trowel or putty knife.
I am often asked if you can put concrete on top of concrete to create a cap.The answer to the question is yes you can but with proper preparation.First the surface must be clean and free of paint, wax, oil dust and grease.Then you need a bonding agent so that the new concrete will stick to the old concrete. A bonding agent can be applied with a roller over the old concrete before using a pre mixed sand mix product for the cap.There is another way which might be easier. Use the Quikrete Concrete Acrylic fortifier. This product is mixed with water and the bag of sand mix.2 quarts to an 80 pound bag and nothing has to be spread on the surface of the concrete. You must use one or the other to have a successful project.
If you’re thinking of having a concrete driveway installed at your home here is a couple of things to consider.
If you’re thinking of having a concrete driveway installed at your home here is a couple of things to consider.I would have several inches of gravel poured on top of compacted soil.I would have rebar installed even if you are using a fiber type cement for additional strength.The pour should be 4 inches thick at 4,000 psi on the driveway and 6 inches thick on the apron of the driveway.I would recommend that you purchase air entrained concrete if you live in a cold climate.Moisture that soaks into the capillaries of the concrete will have room to freeze and expand without doing damage to the concrete surface.Trowel the concrete when it begins to firm up and use a cure and seal compound over the new concrete pour to allow it to properly cure.
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