Concrete Repair Guides for Property Owners
These guides explain what different kinds of concrete damage mean and what a professional repair involves, so you can talk to any contractor on equal terms. They are not do-it-yourself instructions. Where damage points to movement or a structural problem, the guides say so and send you to an engineer.
All guides
Types of Cracks in Concrete and When to Call an Engineer
Most cracks in outdoor concrete are surface cracks from shrinkage or heat movement, and they can be repaired and recoloured. Cracks with a step between the two sides, cra…
How Professional Concrete Crack Repair Works
A professional crack repair is a sequence, not a tube of filler: the surface is cleaned, each crack is opened and prepared, a suitable repair material goes in, and the ar…
Potholes, Spalling and Crumbling Concrete: What Owners Should Know
Potholes and spalling in a concrete driveway are usually surface damage: the top layer has weakened and broken away while the slab below is still sound. In that case the …
Expansion Joints and Edges: The Weak Points of Outdoor Concrete
Joints and edges are where outdoor concrete fails first, because that is where it moves most and is least supported. A broken expansion joint should be cleaned out and re…
When Concrete Repair Is Not Enough, and What to Do Instead
Surface repair is not enough when the slab or the ground beneath it is moving, when the base has washed out, or when damage runs through most of the concrete. In those ca…
Repairing Imprinted Concrete: A Guide for Driveway and Patio Owners
Imprinted concrete is repaired in the same order as plain concrete, cleaning, crack and damage repair, edge cut-in and a two-coat recolour, but the stamped pattern change…