How to Fix Concrete

Protect yourself by covering all of your bare skin so that no wet concrete sticks to it. Wear gloves, safety goggles, and a paper mask over your nose and mouth.

Chip away any jagged, broken pieces of concrete with a cold chisel and a small sledgehammer. Rub a wire-bristled brush over smaller cracks to remove any bits of crumbling concrete.

Wash the concrete completely. Wait one to two days for the concrete to dry thoroughly.

Use siliconized latex caulk to fill small cracks. Squeeze the caulk into the cracks. Remove any excess at the top with a gloved finger or the edge of a putty knife.

Trowel concrete patch onto larger cracks and holes. Begin with a thin layer about 3/8-inch thick. Smooth the patch with the metal trowel. Let the patch set up. Apply a second layer of the patch. Spread the product thickly enough that the depressions in the concrete are level with the surface. Use the edge of the trowel to scrape away any excess concrete patch. Smooth the surface of the patches with the flat side of the trowel.

Construct small frames from scrap coated lumber and duplex nails to fit around very deep cracks or holes. Lay these frames in place. Weigh down each frame by placing large stones or fishing weights along the top.

Pour prepared concrete into each frame, just until each damaged area is level with the concrete around it.

Use a spade that fits into the frames to smooth the surface of the concrete and gently tamp it down.

Cover all of the areas that you patch with plastic tarps. Leave the tarps in place for seven days. Once a day, lightly spray each patched area with water from a garden hose or a spray bottle. Replace the tarps after this treatment.