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How to Fix Your Cracked Sidewalk

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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

Originally posted 2009-08-21 03:38:00.

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