Concrete crack repair and concrete crack filling are jobs that are often done by DIY’ers but to be done properly and to last several years certain steps need to be taken.
Choosing the proper material is important, whether you choose to use a polyurethane caulk which may adhere better or silicone caulk that is able to stretch further, preparing the concrete to receive the caulk is the most important step for a lasting repair.
If you have grass and weeds growing in your concrete cracks and joints you will want to remove the growth and any dirt that will interfere with the bond between the concrete and the caulk. This may mean pulling the weeds, pressure washing the dirt and debris out of the crack and then waiting sufficient time for it to completely dry. Even in cracks that appear to be clean either vacuuming or blowing out is a step that should be taken to remove dust and debris that will interfere with the concrete bond.
If the crack is deeper than a half an inch you will need to fill the crack with foam rope. Foam rope does two things first it allows the caulk to bind to both sides but not the bottom this aids in the ability of the repair to flex. Secondly the addition of foam rope greatly reduces the amount of material needed for the repair. Most big box home-improvement stores and small mom-and-pop hardware stores will carry one or two sizes of foam rope. Professional caulkers will carry three or four different sizes and have access to many sizes all the way up to three and even four inches in diameter.
The next choice you have to make after the type of caulk is whether you want self-leveling or non-sag caulk. Self-leveling flows into the crack and as the name suggests levels itself out eliminating the need to tool the repair. In contrast non-SAG is placed in the crack and then forced into the crack with caulking spatulas and then tooled to an attractive profile. Most professional Caulker’s prefer non-SAG material, while more difficult to use initially the material itself is more durable, less messy and more consistent.
Generally for concrete crack filling a standard gray, aluminum gray, or sandstone color will closely match concrete whether it be brand-new, a few years old or very old. There are however an entire pallet of colors available for color matching stained or colored concrete.
If you have concrete cracks that you need filled to preserve the look and keep your concrete from settling give the concrete raising and leveling professionals a call today, we fill thousands of linear feet of concrete cracks each year.
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