Forgetting to remove loose material

Don’t make the mistake of forgetting to remove loose material. This includes any chipping and easily removed debris, as well as any dust that might have collected on your surface over time. You can use a wire brush for this purpose, but you’ll want to remove most of the dust with a vacuum or damp cloth before you begin brushing—otherwise it will just get kicked up into the air, creating an unnecessary mess.

Removing loose material is important because it ensures that you’re working directly with your concrete’s surface and not with any other materials that might be separating from it. Then, when you apply your patching compound, only one layer will be exposed, instead of two or possibly three. As a result, your patching job will appear more seamless overall!

Using the wrong patching product

When it comes to patching, the key is to use the right product for the job. Some patches are designed specifically for cracks, while others are designed for repairing damaged concrete surfaces.

A cement patch repair product is a general-purpose option that you can use both inside and outside of your home. You mix this type of concrete patch with water and apply it using a trowel or putty knife. These universal products work well for minor repairs on vertical surfaces such as walls, but they don’t work as well on horizontal surfaces such as walkways.

Crack fillers come in squeeze tubes that make it easy to apply just enough material to fill the gap between two pieces of concrete. The squeeze tube applicator allows you to fill cracks where the width is less than 1/4 inch without leaving extra material on the surface of your cement patio or driveway. Most crack fillers only come in one color: gray; however, if you want a more decorative look, you can always smooth over a layer of epoxy when you’re done filling cracks with an ordinary filler so that it matches your other concrete surfaces.

Using too much water

You’re probably going to have to add a little more water, but don’t go overboard! The issue is that the cement becomes too runny. If you’ve added too much water, the patch won’t adhere, and you’ll have to start over with a drier mixture.

The right consistency for cement is similar to this: it should hold its shape when pressed into a ball but it shouldn’t be so thick that you can barely stir it. It’s also not so wet that it flows out of your hand (unless you’re doing some crazy yoga move). Think of peanut butter—that’s the consistency you want your cement mix to be. In fact, if in doubt just picture yourself scooping up some peanut butter using only dry cement; if this sounds like something your 5-year-old self would try at breakfast time before mommy yelled at him for being weird and unhygenic then you’re adding too much water!

Not allowing enough drying time

You’re not letting your patch properly cure. If you rush this process and slap a heavy object on the repair, it will probably crumble and crack. Drying time depends on the type of product you use, but for most patches you should allow at least 24 hours for drying time. Quikrete Fast Set Concrete Mix is an exception—it can be used to quickly fill cracks in slabs and steps (and can even be applied underwater).

After filling the crack with a concrete patching product like Quikrete Fast Set Concrete Mix or Latex-ite Pli-Stix Crack Filler, smooth over the surface using a putty knife and let dry completely. (If you still feel uncertain about your repair job, use a moisture meter to check.)

Skipping the primer

The primary benefit of primer is its ability to prepare a wall for the application of paint. Primer’s main goal is to cover stains and other imperfections on a wall, so that after painting, your walls will look flawless.

However, if you don’t apply anything to the walls before painting them, they will look shabby and unkempt. This happens because as you roll on your paint, the roller will pick up all of the bumps and imperfections in the wall’s surface and transfer them to your paint. Similarly, dark-colored walls can bleed through white paint – even if you’ve painted over them before! To prevent this from happening, it’s always best practice to put primer down first.

If you want to save time and money by skipping this step all together though (i.e., if your new construction has fresh drywall or you’re not repainting an existing surface), there are some things that can be done in lieu of priming:

• If possible use semi-gloss or high gloss paints which are great at hiding blemishes much more effectively than flat paints;
• For ceilings only use a good quality ceiling spray such as Kilz Ceiling Spray Paint;
• Use Valspar Signature interior latex flat finish with Stain-Shield Technology or Behr Premium Plus Interior Acrylic Latex Enamel (available at The Home Depot);
• You may also want to consider using Sherwin Williams ProMar 400 Zero VOC Semi-Gloss which contains zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

These five cement patching mistakes can be avoided with a few easy steps.

While it’s true that a newbie on the job can learn to do cement patching work—just as they can learn anything—the fact is that even the most experienced workers have learned from mistakes. It’s only natural, after all! You simply need to take the time to understand what you’re doing, give yourself time to get better at it, and avoid getting frustrated with yourself in the process. So if you’re wondering how to do cement patching, here are five mistakes you’ll want to avoid:

• Don’t feel rushed. Cement patching is not something that can be done quickly or easily. It takes time and patience—and most of all, practice. So don’t put pressure on yourself by trying to do everything in one day; instead, give yourself plenty of time to work on each area separately so that you’re sure not making any hasty decisions about cement color or texture.
• Don’t worry about perfectionism when it comes to learning how to do cement patching. This tip goes hand-in-hand with the previous one: Because learning requires practice, there will inevitably be some trial-and-error involved during those first few projects until you find your groove and get more comfortable with tools and materials used for the job (such as trowels). So allow yourself space for experimentation without feeling like every step has got an end result of absolute perfection!
• Give yourself time. You might be tempted by DIY kits offered online or in stores; while these products can certainly help speed up a project by providing pre-mixed concrete packets along with instructions on how much water needs adding before mixing begins (and so forth), novices would benefit from seeking out longer tutorials before embarking on their own DIY ventures at home because there’s no substitute for hands-on experience when it comes down getting good results when working with this type material–especially if someone else is going through similar steps alongside them; just like riding