We just poured a new patio and right away have a crack! Can this be repaired? -Diana
Hi Diana,
I know a crack in your new patio must be frustrating; but, according to an old saying among builders, there are two guarantees when working with concrete: (1) It will get hard, and (2) it will crack.
Since the crack occurred soon after the slab was poured, it’s probably a result of either:
- Shrinkage during the drying process.
- Thermal contraction due to changes in temperature.
- Settling of the ground under the slab.
While there are several things that can be done to help reduce the threat of cracks before pouring – such as cutting control joints in the slab, adding steel to the form, or compacting the ground – repairing a crack after the slab has set often just draws attention to the fault. The reason is that the patch rarely exactly matches the color or texture of the existing concrete, so it sticks out like a sore thumb.
That being said, I recently saw some new concrete filler products from Quikrete that come in a tube similar to caulking, and the color is almost a dead-on match. It’s not perfect, but it looks darn close. The material is also a polyurethane base, so if the concrete continues to move, the patch won’t fail.
You could also look into pouring a second cap layer of concrete over the existing slab, but I think that would be overkill. A third option would be to apply a patching compound, then finish the entire patio with concrete paint or stain.
Good luck with your project,
Further Information
- Repairing Cracks in a Driveway (video)
- How to Repair a Concrete Slab (video)
- How to Repair Cracks and Resurface a Concrete Driveway (video/article)
- How to Repair Pop Outs in a Concrete Patio Caused by Freezing (article)
- How to Score and Acid Stain a Concrete Slab Porch or Patio (video/article)
- Concrete Cracking (Concrete Foundations Association of North America)
Are there any products that a homeowner can do his own slab jacking?
Joe,
Jacking up a concrete slab takes specialized equipment and careful planning. I’d wouldn’t try to attempt it as a DIY project.
is it ok to put pretreated patio wood over cracks in concrete patio?
I like how you suggest fixing the cracks of a patio by applying a patching compound, then finish the entire patio with concrete paint or stain. My mom told me that her patio has a lot of cracks and she didn’t know until she pressure washed her patio. I will recommend her to contact a professional company to make sure her patio looks like new again.
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