Concrete Floor Patch

Home repair expert Henry Harrison shows a guest how to patch a pothole in the concrete floor in her basement.

The patches will dry gray.

All About

Product Ideas

Materials and Tools:

mixing tub.
bucket.
shop vacuum
straight board
mixing cup
wire brushes
trowel
tuck-pointed trowel.
brush.
awl
chisel
strainer
towel
gloves
kneepads
dust mask
safety glasses
concrete
aggregate
bonding adhesive

Steps:

1. Put on your gloves, kneepads, safety glasses and dust mask and get to work using the awl to probe the area and remove any loose pieces. Removing loose debris is important. If you just patched over all the debris, the patch would not have a firm surface to grip to and your patch would probably fail.

2. Use a shop vacuum to clean up the area.

3. Scrub the area with a wire brush.

4. Cover the patch area with a bonding agent. Use a paintbrush to spread the bonding agent evenly over the affected area. Make sure the surface is covered and all the tiny pores and holes are filled. Let the adhesive dry for about an hour.

5. Next mix up your concrete. Pour some mix in the mixing tub, create a depression for the water in the center and fold your dry material into the wet with the trowel. Use large gravel or aggregate if necessary to match the texture of your floor. Add more water if needed to reach the desired consistency.

6. Fill the hole with the concrete and pack it in tightly by hand. Always wear gloves when working with concrete as the chemicals in the mix may irritate your skin.

7. Once the holes are filled, level out the surface using a straight board. Start in the middle of the patch, and use both hands to pull the board across the surface of the patch. Use a sliding motion and work from one side to the other.

8. You may need a "dustier" mix to fill the smaller holes. Use a small sifter to remove chunks of aggregate from the mix, leaving you with a lighter mix.

9. Fill in the small holes with a tuck-pointed trowel.

10. Allow the concrete two weeks to cure, then prime and paint to match the rest of the floor.