What Concrete Mix to Use to Repair a Sidewalk

Vinyl Concrete Patch

• Vinyl concrete patch is the best type of concrete to use to repair sidewalks and can be found in hardware stores for around ten dollars for fifty pounds. It can be mixed like regular concrete and troweled to a sixteenth of an inch but has vinyl fortifiers which really stick to old concrete once the concrete has been properly prepared.

Prepare for Repair

• Before repairing the sidewalk, remove all loose materials with a chisel or steel brush. Then sweep and wash the area clean of dust and loose gravel to ensure maximum bonding potential between the vinyl concrete patch and the old concrete. Make sure after you wash it that the area is allowed to dry completely so that no moisture will be trapped under the vinyl concrete, causing it to bubble or corrode from the inside.

Application

• Mix the vinyl concrete patch and apply it with a trowel or a putty knife, adding layer after layer until it has filled the hole or cracks and is unnoticeable compared with the rest of the concrete, with the exception of the fact that it hasn't dried. The vinyl concrete will become sticker and harder to smooth as you work with it, so apply it quickly once it is mixed. Once it has dried, rub some sandpaper over it to smooth the patch out, and look for small cracks which could turn into big cracks over time. If you notice a lot of these, add another coat of concrete patch.