Concrete Repair in Rye, NY

What does concrete repair include?

Concrete repair covers any work that restores damaged concrete without tearing out the whole surface. Depending on the damage, that can mean:

• Crack repair. We clean out the crack, then fill and seal it with a flexible or structural filler to keep water out.
• Spalling and scaling repair. Flaked and pitted surfaces are ground down, then patched with a bonded repair mortar.
• Section replacement. A broken or sunken panel is saw-cut out and repoured, pinned to the slabs next to it.
• Resurfacing. A thin polymer-modified overlay gives a worn but solid slab a new top layer.
• Step and edge rebuilding. Broken corners and noses are formed and rebuilt.
• Cleaning and sealing to protect against salt and water.

When should you call about concrete damage?

Call when you notice cracks getting wider or longer from one season to the next, a section that has dropped or lifted enough to trip on, or the surface flaking and exposing stone. Rust stains are a warning that the steel inside is corroding. So is water pooling where it never used to. Small problems get bigger fast here, because every crack lets in water that freezes and pushes it wider. A crack that costs little to seal in fall can mean a broken slab by spring.

Why does concrete crack, flake and sink?

Freeze-thaw damage is the most common cause. The weather near the Sound swings above and below freezing many times each winter, and every cycle forces water in the concrete to expand. Concrete poured without air entrainment, or finished with extra water, flakes quickly under that stress.

De-icing salt speeds it all up. It pulls more water into the surface and eventually reaches the steel, which rusts and splits the concrete from inside.

Soil movement causes sinking and heaving. Clay soils hold water and move with the seasons, fill dirt near foundations keeps settling, and in low, wet areas near Blind Brook the ground can wash out from under a slab. Tree roots lift edges, and downspouts that dump water against a walkway undermine it from below.

What affects the cost of concrete repair?

• Type of damage. Sealing cracks costs far less than cutting out and repouring a section.
• How much area is affected, and whether damage is in one spot or spread out
• The cause. Fixing drainage, a downspout or a root problem may be part of the job.
• Matching. Blending color and texture with old concrete takes extra care.
• Access and cleanup, especially on steps and tight spaces

Your written estimate will list the repair method and what it's meant to fix, so you can compare it fairly against replacement.

Is it better to repair or replace damaged concrete?

Repair is the right call when the slab is mostly sound, the damage is limited to one area, and the cause can be fixed. A driveway with one sunken panel, or a walk with a few open cracks, is a good repair job. Replacement is better when damage covers most of the surface, when several sections have moved, or when the base underneath has failed. Patching a slab like that just means paying twice. When a driveway has reached that point, full driveway replacement is the better investment. For a stoop that's pulling away from the house, rebuilding the whole stoop is safer than patching. And a backyard slab that tilts toward the foundation usually calls for a replacement patio with the right pitch. We'll tell you which way we'd go if it were our own house.

Concrete repair questions