Watch out for those cracks!
Cracks in asphalt in concrete. Sometimes it feels like the way to distinguish between a great-looking home and an okay-looking home is the quality of the structures leading up to your house: your driveway, your walkway, and even your sidewalk. So if you have a cracked sidewalk that's causing cosmetic damage to the overall look of your property, it's time to get it fixed. This article will tell you how.
First, remember that we're dealing with cracks that are largely cosmetic - for larger cracks that pose bigger risks, you might want to contact someone who has jurisdiction over these sorts of repairs. You'll also want to protect people from that area by placing warning signs and even cones around it. Adults will be able to avoid it easily, but you never know when a kid might be riding by on a skateboard, oblivious to his environment.
For the cosmetic cracks, however, you should be able to take on the problem. You'll need some tools and equipment, including work gloves, safety glasses, a caulking gun (optional), sidewalk filler, and a trowel.
Remember that you're not just making a cosmetic update, but you're sealing off the sidewalk from leaking rainwater and debris. First, try to clean out the area as much as possible - the cleaner your work area, the more effective all of your repairs will be. Cleaning off with water has the added benefit of pre-soaking the concrete around the crack, giving it less moisture to pull out of the sidewalk filler you'll be applying.
Next, apply the sidewalk filler into the crack. Fill a little more than you think you need, because you can always use a trowel to flatten the surface out and remove superfluous sidewalk filler. Before you smooth out the surface, be sure that you use your trowel to push it down into the crack, making sure that it is completely filling the area into which it's been dispensed.
Once you've completed that, leave it alone for a few hours, allowing it to settle and dry out, and then cover the area with a plastic sheet. This sheet will help trap in any remaining moisture for a few days. Once those days have passed, remove the sheet. Voila! You've repaired a crack in your sidewalk. That wasn't so hard, was it?
Note: This cosmetic repair won't look perfect, but it will at least smoothen out your sidewalk.
Photo Credits: MightyBoyBrian
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Posted by Fix Handyman on August 21, 2009 in
How to Fix, sidewalk
Cracked Driveway?
After you've gone through the trouble of either purchasing or building a concrete driveway to call your own, seeing a crack develop can be quite the disappointment. No landscaper in their right mind wants to have anything but a smooth finish on their asphalt, which is why you'll want to do your best to repair your driveway crack and ensure that the surface still offers a high degree of consistency. If you're sick of feeling the cracks under your car tires every time you pull in from work, this article is for you. Here is a brief summary of driveway crack repair.
Before you begin, you'll have to make sure that your driveway is clear and clean. This will usually require a relatively calm day - it doesn't have to be sunny out but winds should be low so that nothing from your lawn or trees makes life more difficult for you. Sweep out the cracks as best you can and make sure that the driveway is about as clear as you can get it. Cleaning the driveway now will help make sure you don't have to do it later when you've already started repairing it.
You're going to need to acquire a driveway crack filler that fits your needs. If you have access to a caulking gun, you can try one of the harder driveway fillers; otherwise, you can find some softer, more liquid fillers at your local hardware store. Before you begin to fill the crack, do your best to manipulate it so that most of the opening is occurring below the surface: this will help to keep the filler in place.
When you fill the crack, make sure that you overfill it rather than under fill it - you can correct the overfill by simply smoothing out the surface with a trowel or piece of wood. For deeper cracks, be sure to fill the deepest parts with a different material like sand and then place your driveway crack filler over that surface.
Next, you'll need to seal the crack - it will be important, again, that the weather is relatively clear, as rain can put a damper in your plans. You can buy driveway sealant from the hardware store and apply it with a simple paint roller. You'll apply the sealant much like you would apply a new coat of paint - try to get it as consistent and leak-free as possible.
Once you get the hang of it, repairing your driveway cracks is one of the easiest chores to tackle around the house - and it sure beats cleaning out the gutters!
Photo Credits: chego101
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Posted by Fix Handyman on July 25, 2009 in
Handyman, How to Fix
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