Repair concrete damage when it occurs to prevent further damage.
Concrete driveways chip over time due to weather, wear and abuse. Small chips will over time become larger chips or cracks if they aren't taken care of early. Since concrete is often in a high-traffic area, the material to repair it needs to be just as durable as the concrete itself, which is why a cement patch is the better choice for patching chips in concrete driveways. The trick to successful cement patching is to "paint" concrete mix on the edges of the existing concrete. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Scrub out the chip in the driveway concrete with a scrub brush and water. You need to remove the debris so the concrete will adhere well.
2. Let the concrete dry completely before proceeding. This could take eight hours or more depending on the humidity level, so it is best to just come back to it the next day. Concrete can still be damp even though it appears dry.
3. Mix cement powder and water in a bucket until it is the consistency of paint.
4. Mix your cement patch in a separate bucket according to the directions on the package.
5. Dip the paintbrush in the cement/water mix and paint the chip.
6. Pour or scoop the patch mix into the chip. If it is a large, deep chip, pour the mix until the hole is half full, then lay down rebar in a checkerboard pattern. Once the rebar is in place. pour the rest of the patch into the chip.
7. Smooth out the patch with a trowel and let it dry for a day. Dampen the patch with water the next day and for two more days after that to help cure the patch hard.
Tags: cement patch, into chip, over time, patch into, patch into chip