B & W Is Here to Help

If you live in inclement climate conditions or extreme temperatures, outdoor steps that get heavy foot traffic can deteriorate dramatically over time. With a little maintenance and some ingenious new products on the market, you can repair concrete steps quickly and easily. Read on for some helpful tips:

Superficial Damage Repair

Over time, concrete stains are just as on any surface we walk on. If they are in a highly visible location, you may want to clean them for better curb appeal. In addition, superficial issues such as weathering, flaking, or web-like cracks may be starting.

For any of these issues take a trip to your local hardware store and get a concrete resurfacer such as NewCrete. It’s a resurfacing product that you spread over the surface. It leaves a smooth blemish-free layer that cures the cracks and weathering and leaves a beautifully fresh look to your steps in two to three hours.

Follow these simple steps:

• Clean the stairs thoroughly with a power washer or a wire brush. Remove loose concrete. 

• Mix the concrete resurfacer by following the manufacturer’s instructions. 

• Dampen the stairs.

• Using a trowel, shape and smooth the surface with NewCrete. A nose trowel should be used for a crisp line along the outer edge. A cove trowel can be used for the inside edge where the tread meets a riser.

Structural Damage Repair

Once structural damage sets into your concrete steps, they will only continue to get worse, so you want to get them fixed as soon as possible. While cosmetic concrete repairs are fairly simple, structural repairs can be quite intimidating. Even so, repair products like Rapid Set Cement All enable you to fix concrete stairs if you dare to do it yourself. 

Follow these steps:

• Eliminate any loose material.

• Chisel deep cracks and smooth the edges, then brush away any debris. 

• Once your steps are clean, roughen and dampen the surface.

• Combine Cement All with the recommended quantity of water and continue working the mixture until it forms a peanut butter-like consistency. 

• With a trowel, put the Cement All onto each damaged area, making sure to get it in every crack and hole. Pack to the desired level. You may have to use a wooden form (made from a wood form nailed into an L-shape) to retain shape.

• Smooth the Cement All with a trowel

• When the surface has lost its moist sheen, it’s time for the water cure. 

If the above directions sound daunting, you don’t have the proper tools, or would just rather have a professional do it, contact B&W Custom Concrete for an estimate. Their attention to detail, creativity, and vision is unmatched.