Foundation Repair: Wide Concrete Cracks

Repairing wide concrete cracks requires precision and expertise.
Wide cracks are undercut using a small sledge hammer and chisel. We first widen the crack creating a keyed surface where a more secure and reliable repair can be made.

We Thoroughly Clean the Damaged Areas
. Once the cracks have a wider base, we thoroughly clean the area using a wire brush, a damp cloth and a vacuum to remove small particles that may prevent the adhesive from bonding to the concrete surface.

We Carefully Apply Patching Compound Paying Close Attention to Detail
We mix concrete patching compound, trowel the compound into the cracks and tamp the mixture to remove air pockets that might have formed between the concrete surface and the patching compound.

We Match the Patch to the Existing Surface
We then smooth the mixture with the trowel, and wait until the patch has set. Once the patch has set, we smooth or brush the surface to match existing surface.

We Seal the Surface
. After patching the concrete, we seal it to prevent the concrete from easily absorbing anything that will stain it. There are many products available for concrete sealing, but a heavy duty water-based polyurethane is our choice.

Read also:  Stucco Repair & Painting Services | CALGARY, AB

Repair Concrete: Narrow Concrete Cracks

We remove any loose debris from the concrete crack that will be repaired and using a wire brush and broom we remove all dust and paint from the surrounding concrete surface and rinse the area using a hose or a bucket of water.

Narrow concrete cracks can be filled using masonry crack elastomeric filler that we apply using a caulking gun.

However, smaller concrete cracks, or hairline cracks, are repaired using a vinyl concrete patching compound applied over the crack and then smoothed with a putty knife.

Using a vinyl concrete patching compound to repair the crack avoids the need to apply a bonding agent over the concrete surface.