Weathered and Worn Repairs

Weather and the elements can really take their toll on your home. Find out how to tackle some of the problems Mother Nature can cause below.

Refinish an Entry Door

Exterior entry doors that are not protected by a porch take a lot of abuse from the sun’s UV rays as well as rain, snow, heat, and cold.

This is particularly true with stained or natural wood doors, which can have problems with the color fading and the protective finish breaking down over time.

To refinish an entry door:

1. Remove the door from the hinges.
2. Place the door horizontally on sawhorses.
3. Remove the door hardware and lockset.
4. Sand or strip the door to remove the old finish.
5. Wipe the door down with a damp cloth to remove any sanding dust.
6. Stain the door with a penetrating stain.
7. Apply a coat of marine grade spar varnish and allow to dry.
8. Sand lightly with fine sandpaper, and wipe down to remove dust.
9. Apply a second coat of varnish.
10. Rehang the door on its hinges.
11. Install hardware, such as a Schlage Touchscreen Deadbolt.

Watch our video on How to Refinish an Entry Door to find out more.

Repair and Stain a Concrete Patio

To improve the look of a concrete patio, start by cleaning the patio with a pressure washer. Use lacquer thinner and a wire brush to remove any paint splatters, and repair any damaged areas of the concrete.

Repairing damaged concrete:

1. Use a chisel to remove any loose concrete.
2. Sweep out any dust or debris.
3. Use a paintbrush to dampen the slab with water.
4. Mix up concrete, such as QUIKRETE Fast Setting Concrete Mix.
5. Fill the damaged area with concrete mix.
6. Use a putty knife or trowel to smooth the concrete.
7. Allow the concrete to dry before walking on it.

Scoring grooves in concrete:

1. Mark the locations for the grooves with a chalk line.
2. Set a circular saw equipped with a masonry blade to cut 1/8” deep.
3. Place a straight edge on the concrete to act as a guide for the saw.
4. Position the base of the saw against the straight edge.
5. Cut the grooves in the concrete.

Staining and sealing concrete:

After all the dust from scoring had been removed from the patio, we applied a thin coat of Golden Wheat colored translucent water based QUIKRETE Concrete Stain to the patio. The stain can be applied using a roller, brush, or pump up sprayer.

Once the stain was dry, QUIKRETE Waterproofing Sealer was applied to the surface using a pump up sprayer followed by a roller to even out the finish.

Watch our video on Improving the Look of a Concrete Patio to find out more.

Replace Weather Damaged Siding

Water and the elements can cause wood and hardboard siding to rot or deteriorate over time. This occurs most often on the bottom rows of siding or where an adjoining roof meets a wall.

Fiber cement siding is a good choice to replace damaged siding, since it won’t rot or deteriorate over time.

To replace damaged siding:

1. Use a flat pry bar to remove the damaged siding.
2. Pull out any siding nails from the sheathing and top piece of siding.
3. If needed, apply housewrap or felt paper over the sheathing.
4. Nail a starter strip of siding to the bottom of the wall.
5. Blind nail the siding to the wall starting with the bottom piece.
6. Fit the top piece behind the existing siding and nail through it.

Watch How to Replace Damaged Hardboard Siding to find out more.

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