Overview
OliverMahon Asphalt can replace your broken areas of concrete, from curb and gutter to flow-lines and slabs. Any broken, cracked or lifted concrete can be removed and replaced. These areas are removed with a backhoe, loader, or bobcat. The broken material is transported to the nearest site for recycling. Temporary forms are installed to hold the concrete in place. Once the concrete starts to set, the forms are stripped and the concrete is finished to complete the restoration.
While concrete is an impressively durable and tough surface, it can become damaged from time to time. If you have a concrete installation on your residential or commercial property which has become damaged, concrete repair is going to be required to bring that slab back into good condition. Fortunately, it is possible to repair concrete in most instances, as long as you have the right team on your side. With an experienced concrete contractor who has the tools and knowledge to perform the repair, you can look forward to your concrete returning to its beautiful state in no time at all.
Serving Southern
California for
over 50 years!
Causes of Concrete Damage
Unfortunately, there are a number of different potential causes for problems that can develop in your concrete. For the most part, each of these causes dates back to the point in time at which the concrete was installed. If done properly, a concrete installation should be long-lasting and largely maintenance free. However, not all concrete jobs are done properly, meaning it is common to see damage in various concrete slabs.
The following list includes some of the common causes of falling concrete.
- Using too much water. This is likely the most common cause of damaged concrete – especially when the concrete has been installed on a DIY basis. Simply put, most people add too much water to their concrete when it is installed. Concrete actually requires very little water to come up to strength, but that fact is missed by many amateur concrete installers. This is yet another reason to work with a professional contractor on this kind of project – to make sure the mix is right when the concrete is installed.
- The wrong concrete is used. Depending on the application at hand, you will need to pick the right strength of concrete in order to meet the demands that are to come. Obviously, concrete that is going to be used as a driveway for vehicles is going to bear a larger load than concrete which will only see foot traffic. Picking the right concrete for the job at hand is another big step toward avoiding future damage and necessary repairs.
- Missing or insufficient control joints. Control joints are basically gaps in the concrete that allow for expansion and contraction throughout the year. If there are no control joints added to the concrete – or if there are not enough joints – it is possible that the concrete will crack in time. A good concrete installation job will include plenty of joints to make sure the slab can shift and move as necessary without breaking down.
The list above is only a partial accounting of the many ways in which concrete can break down. At this point, the lesson should be clear with regard to any concrete project – it is crucial that you have the installation handled properly right from the start. Most problems that come up down the line with concrete can be avoided if you simply get the job done right in the first place.
Concrete Repair Basics
The method used for repairing concrete is going to vary quite significantly from job to job depending on the specifics of the damage. Is the concrete simply cracking, or is an entire chunk missing from the slab? Has the slab be lifted up off the ground through expansion and contraction, and what kind of traffic is going to be going across this surface once it is repaired? There are more questions than answers at this point, which is why an experienced concrete repair contractor is the right choice for the job. You can’t treat this kind of work with a one-size-fits-all approach, so don’t even try. Utilize the experience and knowledge of a professional team to diagnose the problem and then come up with an appropriate plan of action.
While concrete repair is a job that varies greatly from project to project, there are a few basics that stay the same in most cases. Those basics include the points below –
- Removal of damaged area. To start, most concrete repairs will require that the damaged area is removed completely. For instance, if a portion of a concrete slab has been broken, that segment will be taken out and hauled away. With the damaged section removed, the contractor will be able to put together a plan for how to replace the missing concrete effectively.
- Assembling forms. Most likely, forms will be needed to complete the repair process. Basically, forms are going to be used to replicate the shape and size of the concrete prior to the damage. So, to continue with the example from the previous point, forms may be used along the edge of the slab where the damage section had been removed. The form will allow the new concrete to match up perfectly with the rest of the slab that remains in place.
- Finishing work. There is sure to be some finishing work required after the new concrete begins to set and the forms have been removed. This finishing work will usually be a bit different than the work that is performed on an entirely new installation. In this case, the contractor is going to do their best to match up the new concrete to the look of the old surface. It won’t always be possible to work toward a perfect match – after all, the repair is new and the existing slab has been weathered for a period of time – but finishing work can bring the two impressively close in many cases.
The best kind of concrete repair work is the work that you never have to perform. When concrete is installed correctly, repairs can largely be avoided over the long run. Of course, concrete isn’t always installed correctly, meaning work may be required from time to time. To have your concrete repaired properly, talk to a contractor that has been doing this kind of work for years. There isn’t anything that can replace experience when it comes to proper concrete repairs, so put that experience on your side by picking the right contractor. When the work is done, you will be relieved to see that your concrete slab has been returned to its proper look and function.
