If the damage is actually to the front and top of a step, you will need to start by building a form – a support for the vertical part, or riser – so that the patch material does not sag as it stiffened. Home Depot has a tutorial on its website showing what type of assistance you need. Screw together a few L-shaped brackets made from scrap wood, placing the long end of the L flush with the top of the step and the foot of the L going down almost – but not quite – to the bottom of the step. walk. the riser. Then nail a flat board at least as wide as the portion of the riser that needs to be repaired to the foot of each support. Align this board so that the supports are on either side of the patch. Or, where a patch abuts masonry, secure the board so that both supports are on one side of the patch. Spray or apply cooking oil to the board so that the concrete piece does not stick to it.
Before repairing the step, brush any loose material from the broken edges of the concrete. The concrete must be clean for the repair material to adhere well, so scrub away any moss, algae or dirt, then allow the material to dry. Duct tape is the easiest way to secure the long ends of the brackets to the top of the step you are going to repair. It is therefore also useful if the concrete is dry when you attach the formwork. Glue the supports in place and consider placing a few bricks at the bottom of the board to help hold everything in place.
For the patch, use a mixture containing Portland cement. Concrete, whether in the original mix used to construct your steps or in a repair material, is made up of cement, which is the glue component, plus aggregate, the filler. The aggregates can be sand, gravel or a mixture of both. Concrete mixes, especially those formulated for patching, may also contain polymers, which make the concrete less porous and therefore more durable. A plot containing only sand is not as strong as one containing gravel. But plots containing gravel are susceptible to breakage if the largest particles exceed one-fifth of the thickness of the plot.
In your case, the photo you sent shows that the patch may need to be about 3 inches deep in part of the area. If so, a customer service representative for Quikrete, which makes a range of concrete mixes and repair materials, said the most cost-effective solution would be regular concrete. Quikrete High Strength Concrete Mix is sold in bags as small as 10 pounds, which is probably all you need. (It’s $3.77 at Lowe’s.) A high-strength concrete mix like this contains more cement than a mix designed for utilitarian purposes such as setting fence posts, and it sets faster. To help the patch adhere, apply Concrete Bonding Adhesive ($12.99 for a quart of Quikrete Concrete Bonding Adhesive at Ace Hardware) to the existing concrete and allow it to dry for an hour or two before repairing it.
If the patch is only going to be 2 inches deep or less, obtain a patching material such as Quikrete Quick-Set Concrete, sold in 10-pound pails ($7.63), or Repair Mortar Quikrete FastSet, available in such small containers. in a 3-pound bag ($6.97). Smaller bags cost more per volume, but they are designed so you can pour out the water and mix by squeezing the bag. The convenience of purchasing one or two bags and not having to clean out a mixing container or store leftovers can make this a good option.
You also have the option of purchasing a patch designed for holes no deeper than 2 inches, then adding a few handfuls of gravel to use for patching deeper areas. But don’t use material intended for thin surfacing — resurfacing concrete with a layer 1/16 to 1/8 inch deep — even if you add gravel. The sand in the finishing mixes is too fine for the patching stages.
When you are ready to apply the patch, put on thick rubber gloves, protective glasses and a disposable mask. If you are not using the mix-in-bag product, consider a wheelbarrow or an old plastic dish. Use a trowel or just your gloved hands, rather than a shovel, to scoop out a small amount. If any concrete mixture touches your skin, rinse it off immediately; Portland cement is very alkaline.
Add the dry ingredients, stirring if they have settled, then add water. For a 10-pound bag, which will do way more than you probably need, start with just 1½ cups of water; adding too much results in weak concrete. Remove any dry lumps. If the mixture seems too stiff to shape, add a little more water, but do not exceed 2¼ cups per 10 pounds of mixture. Place the mixture at the bottom of the form and work your way up, adding more as you go. Remove large pieces of gravel when patching thin areas, but leave them where the patch needs to be deep. When the patch is filled to the top, press several times to remove air bubbles. You will see a creamy mixture of fine sand and cement rising to the surface. Let this set a bit, then smooth it out with a trowel. For a small room like this, you can use a wide plastic putty knife if you don’t have a trowel.
When the patch hardens, which may take as little as 10 minutes, depending on weather conditions and the material of the patch, carefully remove the form. Slice it with the trowel or putty knife to separate the board from the riser. If you see any gaps, which you likely do, use the trowel or putty knife to smooth the surface and fill in the holes. Add small amounts of leftover sand and cement, if necessary. Also round the top edge to match the existing step.
Concrete hardens quickly but takes several days to fully harden. However, the curing process only continues as long as the concrete remains wet. (Once dry, you cannot restart the curing process by adding moisture.) If the weather is hot and dry, consider covering the patch with burlap (a nearby roaster may have bags to offer ) and moisten the fabric frequently. . To prevent dye from transferring from a coffee bag to concrete, water the bag first.
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