concrete walkway pad repair

[bandit86]

my new house has the concrete walkway pads all crumbling, I'd like to patch it up, what's the best kind of concrete in a bag to get? it's kinda flaking vertically in big pieces like someone already tried repairing with the wrong stuff.

 

[JB]

Re: concrete walkway pad repair

Never saw bad concrete successfully repaired, even by professionals.

My suggestion: break out the bad pad(s) and replace them, either with precast pads or by pouring new ones.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: concrete walkway pad repair

Never saw bad concrete successfully repaired, even by professionals.

My suggestion: break out the bad pad(s) and replace them, either with precast pads or by pouring new ones.

Unequivocal dittos!

 

[75boater]

Re: concrete walkway pad repair

i patched my walkway in front of my house but i had to bring the steps up some... i just put an extra 6 inches of concrete on top of the bad stuff... probly not the best way to do it but it worked and hes been ok for the last 3 years... i just used quickcrete from the local home depot

 

[Bondo]

Re: concrete walkway pad repair

Originally Posted by JB
Never saw bad concrete successfully repaired, even by professionals.

My suggestion: break out the bad pad(s) and replace them, either with precast pads or by pouring new ones.

Unequivocal dittos!

Ayuh,.......... I Agree.........

 

[burroak]

Re: concrete walkway pad repair

i patched my walkway in front of my house but i had to bring the steps up some... i just put an extra 6 inches of concrete on top of the bad stuff... probly not the best way to do it but it worked and hes been ok for the last 3 years... i just used quickcrete from the local home depot

I'll concur with the all on not patching bad concrete; however, I will suggest that if anyone uses quickcrete also buy a bag of portland cement and richen up the mix. The amount of cement in quickcrete is about as scant as it gets. Using quickcrete unadulterated for setting fence posts is about its only use.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: concrete walkway pad repair

Repair is not a good option in my opinion. Chop it out and replace will not only look better but will give you peace of mind for years to come.

 

[bandit86]

Re: concrete walkway pad repair

what about putting asphalt over it? about 3 inches to bring it up level with the driveway

 

[burroak]

Re: concrete walkway pad repair

what about putting asphalt over it? about 3 inches to bring it up level with the driveway

In my area it is difficult to get an asphalt contractor to do such a small job. Just the placing and rolling of the asphalt is problematic. With heavy traffic the cracks will telegraph through. IMHO, I'd opt for plan C.

 

[bandit86]

Re: concrete walkway pad repair

In my area it is difficult to get an asphalt contractor to do such a small job. Just the placing and rolling of the asphalt is problematic. With heavy traffic the cracks will telegraph through. IMHO, I'd opt for plan C.

put the for sale sign back in the ground and move out?

 

[roscoe]

Re: concrete walkway pad repair

New house? new sidewalk?
Call the contractor that did the work.
Or, put a sign up telling his name, and an arrow pointing to the poor quality job he did.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: concrete walkway pad repair

So how old is this "new house"? If less than a year, the contractor should have to fix it.

 

[bandit86]

Re: concrete walkway pad repair

new to me, about 50 years old. I knew the walkway pads were bad when I looked at it. Worst case scenario I'll knock it all out. I have to build a 2 step stairway for the back door anyways, might as well order up 3-4 yards of concrete

 

[mscher]

Re: concrete walkway pad repair

I had a similar problem with a concrete driveway, suffering from salt damage, from previous owner(s). The top 1/2" or so flaked away in large areas.

Not having the $1500 to replace the drive, I tried some 6000# sand mix, applied somewhat wet. Just screed and troweled smooth. It looked a little ratty, but 9 years later, only a few tiny areas of the patch had flaked off. The repairs cost me $35.

I believe that the repair held much better, because I had applied Quickcrete concrete bonding agent to all damaged areas, beforehand. it looked like Elmer's school glue (probably was), but seemed to get the job done, even through many freeze-thaw cycles and daily auto traffic.

Good luck.

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: concrete walkway pad repair

I work with concrete frequently, mostly doing decorative work (countertops, outdoor kitchens, artistic pieces etc.) most likely the deterioration you are experiencing is caused by your environment. Concrete exposed to freeze/thaw cycles is generally going to be subject to the type of delamination you are experiencing, the use of salt to thaw the ice exacorbates the problem quite a bit. There are ways to repair the type of damage you describe, but most likely it will be more costly than replacement.​

Once you replace the concrete, I would highly recommend the use of a siliconate or silicate based densifier. It will strengthen the concrete considerably and it chemically bonds to the calcium carbonate in the concrete to form a permanent bond. The silicates "close up" the concrete pores and reduce the amount of ice that forms internally to the concrete. As a side benefit, the crete will then be hydrophobic and will not accept stains. Look for a product called Diamond Hard by Euclid Chemical Company; they sell in smaller quantities (5-55 gallons) and it is relatively inexpensive.​

 

[bandit86]

Re: concrete walkway pad repair

thanks for the help