How to Repair Flaking Concrete

Concrete that is exposed to the weather needs to be maintained. The seasons can wreak havoc and create a visual nightmare out of your concrete. If your concrete has been through a few freeze and thaw cycles you may be noticing that the surface appears to be flaking up in areas. This is known as scaling. Scaling is caused by water expanding in the pores of the concrete during freezing weather, subsequently breaking apart the top layer of concrete. The good news is that if you are willing to put in a few hours work you can do this repair yourself and save some money. Doing this yourself will save you about $1.80 - $2.50 per sqft. plus materials.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• long handle spade
• broom
• pressure washer
• Patchcrete & something to mix it in
• Ardex & something to mix it in
• bucket with water
• large sponge
• Trowel
• Roller or broom to spread overlay

1. *PREPARE THE SURFACE* You must prepare the surface by peeling up as much (preferably all) of the loose concrete as you can. Use the long handle spade to do this, it will save you some backaches later. If you don't have a spade a flathead screwdriver will work too. Once you think you have all the loose concrete pulled up sweep the area and pressure wash it. Pressure washing the surface will force up any loose concrete that's left. DONT SKIP THE PRESSURE WASHING it's essential to the life of the repair that you have a clean, stable and solid surface.
2. *PATCH IT* Get your bag of patchcrete and mix it as directed on the back of the bag. You are going to apply this to the areas that have flaked up, once the concrete is dry (damp but not wet is okay too). Fill the void till the height matches the rest of the surface area. Once filled trowel it smooth. Then wet your sponge and run it over the surface to feather the patchcrete out to blend it with the old concrete. Easy on the pressure, you don't want to dent the patch, you want a nice smooth, blended surface.
3. *MAKE IT LOOK NEW* Wait til the day after you patch before you begin this step, this will ensure the patch is dry. Your patches are going to stand out like a sore thumb and the only way to fix that is to cover it up with an overlay or slurry. I recommend overlaying the entire driveway, porch or whatever area your working on, so it looks uniform. Mix the Ardex overlay as directed on the back of the bag. Once the overlay is mixed it can be poured onto the surface in sections (one at a time). Once the overlay is poured it needs to be rolled and spread evenly over the area you're covering. Roll out the overlay in a uniform fashion for a smooth look.
   
   *******Check back later******* I will go take pictures of what this should look like and add them on here.

Tips & Warnings

• When purchasing the Ardex to overlay with make sure you bring the measurements of the area with you. Find a store employee to help you determine how much product you will need for your surface area.
• Also when purchasing the roller or brush to spread the overlay with, ask for some assistance in picking it out. They should be able to help point you to the tools that will give you the look and finish you want.
• These products can be purchased at most home improvement and hardware stores.
• If your nervous about working on a big area, try a small area first like a single square of your side access walk.
• Do not perform this repair if it has been raining or rain is expected.
• Do not cut corners, if you do the repair will not last and will probably not look as good as it should.
• Do not mix too much water in the overlay mix, it will cause it to "sand up". The surface will have a sandy texture; you could essentially sweep off your overlay at that point.