Navigation

Click & Add:
Blink
Del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Google
Simpy
Spurl
Technorati
Y! MyWeb

Click Here for free estimate in Indianapolis and surrounding areas.

Repairing popouts

Popouts are a fairly common occurance on exterior concrete surfaces. They are small, conical pieces that break away from the surface leaving a shallow divot. This happens when aggregates near the surface split or expand which creates pressure and causes pieces of concrete to pop away.

To fix popouts, scrub any loose debris away, rinse out with water and let it dry. Then mix up a batch of concrete patching according to label instructions, fill the divot and smooth it out with a trowell. Use a patching material that contains cement and a bonding agent. Anything that says acrylic, vinyl, or latex on the label has a bonding agent.

Tips

• Do repairs when the temperature is above 50 degrees and overnight temperatures are not expected to drop below freezing the next few nights.
• Don't do concrete patching when is too hot or windy. This will cause it to dry out too fast resulting in a weak repair. If hot or windy weather is unavoidable, the put plastic over the patches and shade them.
• Make sure patching material contains cement if you plan to acid stain the surface.
• When the patch is hard, rub it with a flat stone to whiten it, making it blend in better with the surrounding concrete.
• You should always put concrete sealer over the patch to help keep water out.