Concrete is a very strong, and durable material for building. That is why it is used for everything from sidewalks to dams to huge buildings. But that is not to say that concrete structures don’t take some maintenance. Weathering, over the years, can cause even the biggest concrete bridges and highways to fail. But this article is about maintaining concrete around your home.
The really bad thing about owning a concrete floor is the scare of possible cracks. As a matter of fact, were you to inquire from a concrete contractor whether your floor will crack, the answer would be “it isn’t if it will crack, but when.” What this implies is that owning a concrete floor automatically means you will be carrying out floor maintenance. Here are some tips that will help you fix the cracks when they do appear.
As you prepare to do this kind of repair, what you need to do first is clean the crack of all dirt, dust and concrete debris that could be stuck in it. For an outdoor surface like a garage, sidewalk, or porch a pressure washer can blow out the dirt very well. However for indoor repairs blowing high pressure water around can become very messy. For a crack in a room inside the home, the most suitable technique is to scrape out all the loose material with a thin implement like a slotted screwdriver after which you suck out any bits of dirt and debris as well as the concrete dust with a shop vacuum. Repeat this process twice to ensure you remove all of it since if any dirt is left in the crack when you apply the sealer it will not stick properly.
Actually, not spending the time to prep a concrete crack for repair is the number one cause of failure. It only makes sense that you will need to have the crack absolutely clean if you want the sealing compound to adhere to the sides.
For home purposes, the best product to use for repairing cracks in your concrete slab is a latex crack sealer. This expands and contracts as the slab does and glues very strongly to the sides. What is important is to ensure the crack is dirt free and that you do the repairs on warm days only.
Once the sealing material bonds and cures you will want to seal the entire surface with a cement paint so water and snow melt has no chance of seeping back in. If you happen to get any water into the repair area, and the weather turns freezing, then you can be sure all your work will have been wasted as the ice will force the filler right out.
Source: Articles Factory
