Concrete is strong and durable, but it’s prone to cracking.
Concrete is a strong, durable building material that’s used in homes and businesses all over the world. Unfortunately, cracks are a common problem with concrete. They can appear in sidewalks, patios, and driveways. Luckily, there are a few simple things you can do to fix them.
Cracks are common because concrete is rigid and can’t flex or bend to accommodate the pressure from the soil underneath it. They’re also often caused by poor construction or excessive weight on the surface of the concrete (like heavy vehicles). In some cases, cracks may be caused by freezing or shifting soil. Either way, repairing them as soon as possible will help prevent further damage to your walkway.
If you have cracks in your concrete walkway, patio or driveway, it’s best to fix them as soon as possible.
If you have a cracked concrete walkway, driveway or patio, the crack may be letting in water whenever it rains. This can cause the surrounding soil to shift and create new cracks or allow grass and weeds to grow up through the crack. The longer you put off repairing cracks in your concrete, the more likely it is that you’ll have to replace them entirely. Cracks can be caused by many factors, including freezing and thawing cycles, tree roots and settling of the ground beneath your concrete pathway. If left unrepaired long enough, they can provide an eyesore for visitors to your home.
The only way to get rid of a crack is to remove the affected section of concrete, then pour new concrete in place.
No. In fact, cutting out the crack and pouring new concrete in its place is the only way to get rid of a crack completely. If you simply fill the crack with caulk or patching compound, it’s likely to come right back in a season or two. This is because concrete expands and contracts with temperature changes, so any material used as a filler will move with it—and eventually give up.
The catch with repairing cracks yourself is that you have to tear the old stuff out first—a process that can be labor-intensive, time-consuming and expensive. There is an alternative: bonding agents can actually bond new concrete to old concrete for a permanent fix without having to tear anything out. An epoxy adhesive such as Quikrete Concrete Epoxy Repair No. 8620 can be used to bond new material over the existing damaged concrete in order to strengthen it (and avoid tearing everything out).
A full tear-out process is long and expensive.
Tearing out an entire concrete walkway is a messy and labor intensive process, as well as time consuming. It’s also not cheap. A full tear-out process involves a lot of heavy lifting and breaking up the sections of concrete that are then wheelbarrowed away to be loaded into a dumpster for removal. If you go this route, it does mean you can install new concrete in its place, but you’re talking about serious time and money to get it done right.
But there’s a quicker and less expensive option that can also improve the quality of your concrete.
But there’s a quicker and less expensive option that can also improve the quality of your concrete. It’s called bonding, and it means attaching a new layer of concrete to the existing layer. This process can work on any type of existing concrete surface you want to overcoat, including driveways, patios and walkways. The key is preparation: The best results come from an approach that bonds the two layers together instead of treating them as separate entities. That means no cracks or voids between the two layers and no water running beneath the new layer into the old one.
It’s called bonding, which is the process of chemically and physically attaching the new layer of concrete to the existing layer.
Bonding is the process of chemically and physically attaching the new layer of concrete to the existing layer. The chemical bond is achieved by applying a thin layer of dispersion epoxy, which provides a bonding medium for the new concrete to adhere to the old. A mechanical bond is achieved by using a diamond saw blade with grit on it, which cuts into the existing concrete in order to provide extra surface area for the desired adhesion. Additionally, during this process, grooves are cut into this concrete slab so that water can be removed from under footings and slabs.
Bonding can be used on both interior and exterior applications. Bonding can be used successfully on projects involving driveways, patios, garage floors, sidewalks and even around swimming pools. If you’re looking to repair damaged or cracked concrete with minimal hassle or mess that a full tear out would entail, then bonding is your best bet!
The benefits of bonding are numerous! Bonding means no demolition or removal costs associated with your project. It’s environmentally friendly and requires less time (and therefore money) than a full tear out would take. No permits are required when doing bonded repairs—another plus! Another benefit is less dust during construction; because you aren’t removing old concrete there’s no need for jackhammers or other expensive equipment that might create dust clouds in your home or business! As an added bonus you don’t have to worry about disposal costs of any old materials either—they stay right where they were before we started working on them!
This method can work on just about any kind of existing concrete surface you want to overcoat, including driveways, patios and walkways.
It can work on just about any kind of existing concrete surface you want to overcoat, including driveways, patios and walkways. It’s also perfect for outdoor surfaces that are exposed to the elements, such as a garage floor or pool deck. You can even apply it over an interior concrete floor if you don’t like the look of the surface.
This method is not be used to repair large cracks in concrete slabs, where the surface has significantly broken away and would make your new layer unstable. Make sure any cracks are shallow and reinforced with structural crack repair material before adding this new coating.
Here are some things that you need to know before attempting a bonding job.
Before beginning your bonding job, you’ll need to purchase some bonding agent from a hardware or home improvement store. You’ll also want to pick up some sanded acrylic caulk, which will be used to seal any cracks in the surface of the old walkway. Once you’ve got these materials together, put on your gloves and begin spreading the bonding agent onto the surface of your concrete walkway.
Find out what’s causing the cracks in your concrete in the first place.
Before you begin, it’s important to determine what’s causing the cracks in your concrete in the first place. Without doing so can lead to more crack-related problems down the road. As mentioned previously, concrete is a porous material that gradually shrinks as it dries and ages, and this shrinkage often results in inevitable cracking. Because of this, some hairline cracks are unavoidable. However, other causes for cracking may include poor construction practices (such as not allowing enough time for concrete to dry before laying over it), weathering from prolonged exposure to rainwater (which can wash away soil underneath and weaken support), or freezing/thawing cycles during winter months that cause expansion/contraction of water within the concrete. Therefore, if you have multiple cracks with no clear cause, those will likely reappear after filling; however, if you have just a few isolated cases caused by external factors (such as a large object falling on an otherwise intact rock solid walkway), then repairing them should be all you need.
Start by sealing up any cracks that are wider than 1/8 inch with a little bit of sanded acrylic caulk, then smooth it out so it’s flat with the concrete surface you’re working with.
Use a spray-on bonding agent on the top layer of the concrete you’re going to be working with. Start by sealing up any cracks that are wider than 1/8 inch with a little bit of sanded acrylic caulk, then smooth it out so it’s flat with the concrete surface you’re working with.
The bonding agent helps the new layer of concrete stick to the old layer since they aren’t pretty much identical. The bonding agent forms a chemical bond with the concrete and also forms a physical bond with it. The chemical bond is created by reacting chemicals in the bonding agents to compounds in the old concrete mix. The physical bond is created by filling in gaps and making the surface as smooth as possible. This allows for more adhesion between two surfaces.
Once you have all the cracks sealed up, apply an appropriate bonding agent over the entire surface with a spray bottle or roller.
Once you have all the cracks sealed up, apply an appropriate bonding agent over the entire surface with a spray bottle or roller.
This will help the new layer of concrete bond with the old layer and make for a stronger walkway that should last longer than if you just spread concrete over it.
Then leave that area to dry for at least 30 minutes before applying the new layer of concrete on top of it.
>“Then leave that area to dry for at least 30 minutes before applying the new layer of concrete on top of it.”
You can use a roller or brush to apply the bonding agent. Make sure you cover the entire surface with the bonding agent, including any cracks and holes in your walkway’s concrete.How to replace concrete in a walkway without having to tear it out: A blog about how you can bond new concrete directly over old concrete.
In my own home, I have a walkway that has been damaged by exposure to the elements. It has started to crumble and break away at the edges, losing its shape and making the house look less appealing. Overall, it is an eyesore that could deter potential buyers from considering our home.
My options were to either have the entire walkway torn up and replaced with new concrete, or to find a way to repair the existing concrete without tearing it up first. The latter choice seemed like the best option for us as our budget was limited.
I decided that I would repair the walkway by bonding new concrete directly over top of the old concrete. This meant that I would no longer need to tear out any part of the walkway first; instead, I could just lay down some fresh material on top of what was already there and hope for a nice bond between them.
I did some research on how best to go about repairing this type of surface area, which included reading through several blogs written by experts in the field as well as seeking advice from other people who had successfully done similar projects before me.
If you’ve ever had to replace concrete, you probably think you have no other option than to tear out all of the old concrete before laying down any new.
But that’s not true! You can bond new concrete directly over old concrete, and it will look perfect—as long as you follow these simple steps.
First, apply a bonding agent to the old concrete. This will help the new concrete adhere to the old properly. Once you have a nice even coat of this on your existing concrete walkway, wait the recommended time for it to dry.
Next, apply a sealer over the whole surface of what you’re trying to fix. Make sure you’re applying enough so that all of the cracks are covered with sealer as well. If there are any cracks that are too deep or wide for them to be covered by just one layer of sealer, then fill those cracks with an epoxy filler first before applying your sealer.
Once you’ve done this, let it dry completely before moving on to the next step.
Finally, pour your new concrete over your newly-sealed and prepped surface and wait until it dries before walking on it!
You’re so handy! You’ve got that concrete walkway looking great.
But what about when it needs to be replaced? Don’t despair. While there are a lot of methods out there, one of the best ways to replace your old concrete walkway is a technique called “bonding,” in which you bond new concrete directly over your old concrete. This can save you both time and money, and it’s also good for the environment (no hauling away tons of waste materials!).
The most important part of bonding new concrete to old is proper preparation. You’ll have to clean off any dirt or debris from the top of your old concrete walkway (use a pressure washer if you have one—this will make the job easier). Then scrub it with a wire brush, and rinse with water.
Once your surface is clean, you can apply an etching solution using a spray bottle, then scrub again with the wire brush. Again, rinse with water, then let dry overnight.
Once your surface is dry, apply pH-neutral cleaner using a mop or spray bottle (follow directions on packaging), then rinse again once more.
Now you’re ready to apply your bonding agent! Once that’s done and has dried, you can apply
If you have concrete in your walkway, chances are that it’s not going to last forever. But what if you could just put a new layer of concrete on top to renew it?
Well guess what? You can!
It’s called bonding, and it’s easier than you think. It’s when you lay a new layer of concrete directly onto another layer of concrete, with nothing in between. Adhesion occurs when the new layer sticks to the old one—and that stick is permanent.
If you can’t replace the concrete in your walkway because it’s too expensive or too time-consuming, bonding is a simple solution to get your walkway back into shape.
Let’s be honest: your home’s curb appeal isn’t what it used to be. And that’s a problem, especially if you’re trying to sell your home. It can also be a problem if you want to re-do your walkway for yourself, but the thought of ripping up a perfectly good concrete walkway just to replace it seems excessive.
Well, here’s the good news: you don’t have to rip up your old concrete! The secret is called “bonded overlay.” It allows you to re-do your walkway and give it a brand new look without tearing out the old concrete.
So how does a bonded overlay work? The name is pretty self-explanatory. Essentially, the new concrete is bonded directly on top of the old concrete instead of excavated, which not only saves you money by eliminating excavation costs, but also reduces the amount of time needed to complete the project. There are many different types of bonded overlays, but they all basically do the same thing—provide a new surface over an existing slab—and they come in different colors and textures so that you can create whatever look works best for your home and landscape. You can even add decorative elements like stencils or pavers!
Want to replace that old, broken concrete walkway without having to do a lot of demolition? Turns out you can!
It’s called bonding, and here’s what you need to know.
Have you ever gotten concrete in your hair? I have—and it’s not pretty. It took me two weeks to wash it all out, and I had to use a scrub brush on my scalp every day (ouch!).
So you can imagine how excited I was when my dad came home from the hardware store with some new tool that would help us replace our front walk without tearing out the old one first. We could just layer the new concrete over the old! Dad told me it was called “concrete bonding agent.”
We cleaned all of the dirt off of the old concrete, then brushed on the glue. The instructions said we had to wait for it to dry before we could pour, but they didn’t tell us how long that would take. So we waited a few hours, then gave it a test by pressing our thumbs into the glue. If it stuck to our thumbs, we decided, then it would be ready to go.
My dad asked me to get some water while he mixed up the concrete. He poured in some of that stuff that makes your fingernails grow really fast (I forget what it’s called), then he added a bunch of gravel and sand and stirred until his arms were about to fall off.
I went back