Literally, in the case of sealing sidewalk cracks! How annoying is it to caulk around your windows and have the caulk dull-up and grow mold! (Use the adhesive caulk found on this site.) Or caulk your tub to just have it peal off, boo hoo, at least your tears will fall in the tub. (Use the silicone caulk and follow the directions also found on this site--search the remodel tag.) Well, for concrete cracks you must use this here caulk (only on dry concrete, and have mineral s

Calcium Magnesium Acetate won't put pock marks in your concrete steps, walkway or driveway. It won't bother pets, track in on your carpet nor stain as much as good old table salt, Sodium Chloride will. Click on image for link. #safety #concrete #popular

Just inspected a house with an outside wall bent inward from the base. Normally the failure is mid-wall. This clever apparatus might help. Seems it connects to the joists then pushes the support beam against the wall. This is not a job you should do yourself. Consult a building engineer then get a reputable contractor. #concrete

Click on image for link. #concrete

Unfortunately fixing this is not easy. The walls need to be cleaned of grime and efflorescence (the white build up of salts leaching from the concrete) then bleached, then rinsed. Wire brushing is needed to get off any remaining deposits. Then cracks need to be filled and at least two coats of Drylok need to be applied. Typical scenario when downspout above is discharging directly to the foundation. #mold #concrete

It can be resealed yourself but requires careful preparation, the right materials and one or two fine days. Also, if the driveway is a total loss, please consider a porous alternative like pavers that you can grow grass in or the plastic box material found in another post. #concrete

This says it penetrates deeply and still allows breathing. Seals brick and concrete. Sounds remarkable. Click on image for link. #concrete #mold

Those vertical gaps between bricks where there is no mortar let the wall breathe. They're called weep holes but mice and other critters can enter through them. Don't caulk them up! Just push these into them. Click on image for link. Here is a beehive created between outer walls where just one weep hole was used for entry! #concrete #exterior

This foam cladding system ran into serious problems before drainage was accommodated. Ask what kind is on your house! Click on image for further details. #concrete #exterior

This is a polyurethane caulk for large gaps in concrete. Note the need for a filler like Battalion Caulk Backer. CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO THIS PRODUCT. #caulking #concrete

Seal cracks with this caulk. Build whole new bricks with the product below. Click on images for links. #caulking #concrete

Just inspected a new house that already has shown settling of its concrete block foundation. It may just be a drainage issue: the whole rear of the 3-unit structure drains to the side that is settling so redirecting that water may fix it. If not, the footing for the wall needs additional support. The new hardware demonstrated in the above video seems promising. Another method is called the push pier system, as demonstrated below. #concrete

These grid systems are very versatile. They can keep gravel in place or grow grass that you can drive on. These sturdy tiles that can be driven on without fill make the most sense to me. One type recommends topsoil be mixed with the gravel base 50/50 to help the grass be successful. These are easy to install and repair and best of all provide a porous surface: eliminating all sorts of problems requiring resurfacing, drains, or complete demolition. Obviously, this type of

Obviously it's hard to find a wall this clean but after using an angle grinder and getting quite dusty...this video is from carbonwallrepair.com #concrete

OK, this stuff is unbelievable...comes out like molten peanut brittle. Can be applied when wet. Spec sheet says it takes months to fully cure but when compacted, does not move. I just cleaned out pot holes with a high pressure nozzle on my hose and swept out the remaining water. Tamped down and ran over with car, viola! #concrete #remodel

These straps increase the wall strength by three times! Here is product link: STRAPS #concrete

Think peanut brittle you can walk on! Click on image for a how-to on coating your worn concrete stairs and patios with a slip and maintenance-free, attractive surface that will even out settled and cracked slabs. Naturally, surface prep is crucial... concrete must be clean and dry and cracks must be filled with polyurethane caulk. Call a concrete company near you if you don't want to DIY. #concrete #exterior

These kits are sold by the length of cracks you are filling...also the width makes a difference. Basically, plastic injector sleeves are put in at regular intervals and then epoxy is injected (with a caulking gun-like apparatus that costs $160--maybe rent one?) until it shows up in the hole above it. Click on image above for kits. Link below gives you the basic steps for this process. Click on image for link. #concrete

Yesterday I saw a house on a hill with a crumbling garage wall buckling and other retaining walls cracking due to the simple lack of proper drainage and weep holes. For weep hole drainage dig a post hole every couple of feet and line the holes with landscape-fabric filled with gravel...then drill weeps hole near the bottom of each gravel column. For drainage along walls dig a sloped trench, line with landscape fabric, line with gravel, then lay plastic drainage pipe covered