Have you thought of having an addition added to your home? Maybe you've considered adding a bathroom in a large hallway. Hiring contractors to make this sort of changes in your home is a way of experiencing growth. You've realized that your home no longer fits your life, and you want to expand it.
Making the decision to add on to your home, or to have any other type of construction work done, is a lot easier when you know a little about construction work. You can learn enough to inform yourself on this blog. We'll venture beyond the basics and into lots of great details.
Recommendations to Keep Your Concrete Surface Well Maintained and Free of Damage
Whether your home has paving made of asphalt, gravel, or concrete, you will need to take care of your paved surface with regular repairs and everyday care. Asphalt dries out and oxidizes, and concrete can shift, settle, expand, and contract from soil erosion and freeze-thaw weather conditions, requiring some essential repairs to restore and keep the surface long-lasting. Here are some recommendations to help you take care of your home's paving with concrete patching, crack filler, and sealant.
Fill Cracks
When a crack begins to form in your concrete pavement, you can repair it to seal it up to protect against further widening. You not only want to repair your concrete to maintain its aesthetics but crack repairs also prevent deterioration in the pavement. For example, when moisture gets into a crack, the moisture can freeze during winter, expanding and widening the crack. Over time, this will severely damage the surface of your concrete when the cracks expand and grow larger and outward.
To repair the cracks, you first need to clean them out of debris and dirt. You can use a pressure washer or a vacuum to pull out the debris. The interior of the crack needs to be free of any particles that will get in the way of a full adherence of the materials. You should also prepare the crack by widening the base of the crack in an inverted V pattern. This provides a full base for the crack filler to add stability to the repair. This also helps prevent the repair from lifting out of the crack.
For a large concrete crack or a deep-set crack, you can set a length of foam backer rod into the crack. This will help fill in a deep trough so you can apply the crack filler over the top to restore the surface.
Finish the Patch and Repair
Once you have applied the crack filler into the crack with a concrete trowel, feather the repair material over the surface of the surrounding concrete and smooth it level. Small cracks that grow from the body of a larger crack are easy to fill with a liquid concrete filler product. This repair material comes in a tube and you can squeeze it right into the crack where it will self-level.
Apply Protection Seal
As a final protection to your now-repaired concrete, consider treating the surface of the concrete with a concrete sealant. This type of sealant will seep into the concrete's pores instead of merely resting on the top. This ensures the protective layer will stay in place and create a waterproof barrier to your concrete.
For help repairing cracked concrete, contact a company like Specialty Construction Supply.