How Do You Repair A Concrete Floor?
In spite of the concrete finisher’s best efforts, sometimes the finished product has significant imperfections. Even a carpet laid on a pad or vinyl flooring cannot be expected to cover up every flaw, so repairing a slab is the builder or homeowner’s best choice for correcting the problem. • Determine the scope of the problem. The illustrations in this article show a repair where a slab reinforcing bar was too near the surface, and the concrete cracked. Other possible problems may include the following. • Ridges or humps left by the finishers. • Expansion or contraction cracks. • Debris like chunks of wood floating out of the concrete while it is still plastic (wet). • Damaged caused by heavy objects being dropped on the slab before it is cured. • Use a ruler to determine the length and width of the area to be repaired if the condition does not define itself. This may include bumps, depressions, or ridges. Small areas of shallow surface irregularities may be concealed with a floor leve
Concrete floors are present in most homes in garages, carports or on a patio or terrace. All concrete floors will need repair eventually because of ground shifting, moisture or settling. Repairing concrete floors does not require hiring a professional and most repairs can be done easily with a few items from home improvement stores. Step 1 Fix shallow cracks and uneven areas by painting the damaged area as well as the rest of the floor area, which will even out the surface if the crack is ¼ inch deep or less. Purchase a basement paint if the floor is indoors, and use an exterior paint if it’s outside. Step 2 Use a mixture of a latex bonder and mortar to repair a deeper crack. Put a little of the bonding agent into the crack, then apply the latex and mortar mixture. Step 3 Repair larger cracks by first clearing out all concrete dust and crumbled areas. Take away the loose pieces. Use a chisel to remove pieces lodged in the cracks. Step 4 Purchase concrete filler; the tubes of filler are
Concrete cracks. That’s nearly a fact of life. Only the best concrete work will steer clear of cracking. But just give it enough time—it will crack. So you need to know how to repair a concrete floor. “Patch” is more the word, because it’s impossible to truly stitch together a cracked concrete floor. The great thing is that it’s an easy job, requiring few materials. Not only that, the materials (and tools) are inexpensive. Difficulty: EasyTime Required: 2Here’s How: • Use a mortar or concrete chisel and hammer to taper down the sides of the crack. This may seem counter-intuitive, but you need to get rid of the unstable edges of this crack and get down to more solid material. • Use a wire brush and Shop Vac to clean out all the junk from the crack. • Brush on a bonding adhesive to the entire crack. Let the bonding adhesive thoroughly dry. • Mix up your concrete patch material. Do not buy a bag of ready-mix concrete and expect to use this for patching. Instead, buy a material designed sp
