{"id":11932,"date":"2014-06-05T13:00:30","date_gmt":"2014-06-05T11:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mobserver.co.za\/?p=11932"},"modified":"2014-06-05T11:24:13","modified_gmt":"2014-06-05T09:24:13","slug":"repair-cracks-concrete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/middelburg-observer\/uncategorized\/2014\/06\/05\/repair-cracks-concrete\/","title":{"rendered":"Repair cracks in concrete"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Concrete is one of the most versatile and sustainable materials for use in and around a home. It is used as the foundation to build on, it offers itself to attractive flooring options when stained, stamped or polished, and it is an affordable way for homeowners to take on home improvement projects.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">When installed properly concrete lasts a lifetime, but there will be times when a little maintenance or touch up is required.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>How to fix cracks in concrete<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">There are various products on the market for repairing cracks in concrete and, while it is necessary to use the correct product, it is also important to prepare cracks before filling with a suitable filler.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>YOU WILL NEED:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Hammer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Cold chisel<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Rockset or similar*<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Bowl for mixing<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Paint scraper or spatula<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><em>* Use a cementitious or cement-based crack filler recommended for exterior use or specifically for repairing cracks in concrete.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>HERE&#8217;S HOW:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">1. Any loose areas need to be removed and the crack widened in a &#8216;V&#8217; shape to reach as far down as possible to the source of the crack. You can use a hammer and chisel to widen the crack by chipping away at the edges, holding the chisel at a 30 to 45-degree angle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">2. Mix dry cement crackfiller according to the manufacturer&#8217;s recommended instructions.\u00a0The mix should be thick and creamy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong><em>GOOD TO KNOW<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><em><strong>Only mix enough product for single application of a 10mm thick layer.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">3. Use a paint scraper or spatula to apply the filler to the crack.\u00a0Use the scraper to press the filler so that is pushed down to the bottom of the chiselled out channel.\u00a0Apply filler to a level of no more 10mm and allow this to set overnight.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">4. If necessary, apply an additional layer of filler, again no more than 10mm thick, into the crack.\u00a0The deeper the crack the more layers you will need to apply.\u00a0Always allow each layer to set before applying another layer.\u00a0By building up layers of filler and letting each layer set there will be less possibility of &#8216;slumping&#8217; or the filler leaving a visible depression.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">5. When reaching the level of the surrounding area, use the scraper to smooth out the filler to make the repair less visible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/rekordeast.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/85\/2014\/05\/cracks-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-19846\" src=\"https:\/\/rekordeast.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/85\/2014\/05\/cracks-2-423x423.jpg\" alt=\"cracks-2\" width=\"423\" height=\"423\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">You can use this method of repair to fix up cracks in a driveway, paths and walkways and small concrete structures.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Article courtesy of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.easydiy.co.za\" target=\"_blank\">www.easydiy.co.za<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>MORE DIY:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/easydiy.co.za\/index.php\/improve\/69-how-to-install-blinds\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-19848\" src=\"https:\/\/rekordeast.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/85\/2014\/05\/BLINDS-423x423.jpg\" alt=\"BLINDS\" width=\"209\" height=\"209\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/easydiy.co.za\/index.php\/improve\/69-how-to-install-blinds\" target=\"_blank\">How to install blinds<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right\"><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Concrete is one of the most versatile and sustainable materials for use in and around a home. It is used as the foundation to build on, it offers itself to attractive flooring options when stained, stamped or polished, and it is an affordable way for homeowners to take on home improvement projects. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":11933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"hasGravity":false,"cxt_article_byline":"","cxt_disable_google_ads":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1499,2681],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diy-tips","category-lifestyle-news"],"category_labels":{"Category":"Lifestyle","SubCategory":"DIY"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/middelburg-observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/middelburg-observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/middelburg-observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/middelburg-observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/middelburg-observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11932"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/middelburg-observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11932\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/middelburg-observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/middelburg-observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/middelburg-observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/middelburg-observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}