It’s renovation season 2023!
Finally, the good weather has arrived, and like every year, good weather equals renovation work! Maybe you have a concrete driveway to repair? We have the solution, and the guide to do it!
Acrylic fillers can help you repair, protect and beautify any surface.
TexNov offers you acrylic coatings , to renovate your home, your business or your industry in beauty.
Our visit to the National Home Show confirmed to us that the great need for durable products exists. Concrete entrances, garage or balcony floors, damaged foundations, brick facades to be redone or stucco coverings to be repaired.
One of the most popular projects is the renovation of concrete entrance stairs.
How to repair concrete driveways?
Concrete is a solid but porous material. If your staircase was built in a few years ago and you are using melting salt, chances are your steps are damaged.
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Repair superficial damage
The calcium used to deglaze the concrete steps as well as the cycles of freezing and thawing are at the origin of the spalling of the concrete. Under these circumstances, water can infiltrate the concrete and cause it to split.
However, it is easy to stop this degradation and thus avoid any demolition work on your exterior stairs. As soon as the first signs of crumbling appear, simply cover it with a light layer of TexNov acrylic-based polymer coating.
In conclusion, for repairing concrete driveways, using this product is far more effective than the standard repair mortars that are most commonly used. With its acrylic base and mineral microfibers, it is used as a concrete adhesive thanks to the strong adhesion of its acrylic components.
Exposed cracks can appear over time, due to temperature variations (freezing – thawing), precipitation (rain, snow) and wear and tear from constant use.
When the nosing of a step is damaged, it must be repaired as soon as possible before it gets worse, this will avoid accidents. If in addition, the cracks are apparent, they must be sealed with the right product, this will prevent water from infiltrating and will stop the aging of the entrance to your home.
Cracks may appear with the use of certain melting salts. To prevent this kind of damage, you can add a protective acrylic coating.
Finally, nothing better than an acrylic coating to redo the concrete entrances.
Impact of using melting salts on concrete
Regarding the action of melting salts on concrete entrances or other surfaces, its implication on accelerated aging can be obtained by the following reasons:
- Water saturation of the surface: ice melters melt snow or ice. A layer of water is therefore maintained on the surface and saturated by the concrete. We no longer have “expansion vessels” opposing swelling when the water freezes again.
- Thermal shock that these agents cause in the surface layers of the concrete: the melters draw from the concrete the heat necessary to melt the snow and ice that covers it. They thus cause a sudden drop in the surface temperature of the concrete, a drop which has caused strong tensions between the surface layer and the lower layers, the temperature of which has not varied. This can very quickly result in chipping or flaking of the surface.
- Osmotic pressure: the water that freezes in the concrete is actually a saline solution. During freezing, there is a separation into ice on the one hand, less concentrated in salt than at the start, and in saline solution on the other hand, which has therefore become more concentrated in salts. A flow is therefore established to rebalance these salt concentrations. This flow creates pressure in the concrete which can lead to cracking or spalling, depending on the depth at which these pressures take place.
- Freezing in layers: at a given temperature, the upper and lower layers freeze under the action of cold. The middle layer, where the maximum chloride concentration is, does not freeze. If, following a further lowering of temperature, the water in this layer freezes, it does not find space to expand and pushes the upper layer back.
The pictures speak for themselves. Acrylic coatings will make your entrance beautiful again, while protecting the existing structure.
Repairing a Cracked Concrete Driveway: One Step at a Time
In addition, we believe that it is necessary to demolish the existing entrance and build a complete staircase, but practice still shows us that using a TexNov acrylic coating can restore damaged structures to beauty, quickly and in a lasting way. .
In the case of damaged balconies and stairs, TexNov offers concrete resurfacing. This type of project consists of removing the damaged cement down to the sound cement, then repairing the cracks and finishing with a 100% acrylic polymer coating.
Step 1: repair the stair nosing
If the surface of the entrance is simply cracked, we wash at high pressure and then apply a layer of acrylic coating. But for projects that require repair, it is necessary to do more complex work.
Thus, in the case that steps have missing parts, such as the nosing of the steps, they must be repaired as a priority.
In short, the balcony to be repaired is to be cleaned with a pressure washer to remove mold and various stains. For stubborn stains, please use the TexNov surface preparer.
Finally, it is necessary to get rid of the parts which are flaking and which no longer adhere using a mason’s chisel and a mallet.
Step 2: redo the missing parts
First of all, you have to install a wooden formwork to delimit the area to be worked, this is the stage of the acrylic coating.
Then, for the coating to adhere, it is preferable to use a cementitious base on the trellis, to properly repair your balcony.
With a trowel, you have to reshape the nose of the step, straight or rounded. Certainly, always start at the top of the stairs. Make sure to flatten the material as much as possible before it dries.
For complete drying, lay down a plastic tarp for the time indicated on the product label. Finally, it is then sufficient to remove the formwork according to the standard procedure.
Step 3: Repair creaks
Next, and once the surface is clean, make a groove 1 or 2 centimeters deep around the weakened area using a chisel and a chisel.
Namely, the surface must always remain clean: a metal brush removes residues and a vacuum cleaner will remove dust.
Also, it is then necessary to pass a wet sponge and put again a cementitious base of TexNov . After the product has dried, the groove is moistened and the coating is applied with a trowel before smoothing it with a trowel.
Finally, the last step of how to repair a concrete driveway: simply put the protective tarp back on while it dries.
Disclaimer: This “how to fix a concrete driveway” article was written for the purpose of informing and maintaining our customer relationship. The company takes no responsibility for any work done without professional supervision. Your best ally is your general contractor.
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Advantages of the TexNov acrylic coating solution
| TexNov Acrylic Coating restores beauty and value to residential or commercial & industrial structures easily, quickly and inexpensively (it costs four and a half times less to renovate with TexNov than with aluminium). TexNov beautifies, renovates and increases the value of your building instantly.
Great ease of application Very resistant Non-slip Great durability The vapor permeability of TexNov allows surfaces to breathe. In particular, the walls of rooms in indoor pools, spas, whirlpools (most paints do not breathe and cause bloating and flaking) TexNov easily lasts two to three times longer, eliminating the hassle of regular scraping, sanding and painting. |
Huge choice of 96 colors
Easy to maintain TexNov much more than a paint
Disclaimer: We present this article to you in order to inform and maintain the link with our community of customers. The company takes no responsibility for any work done without professional supervision. Your best ally is your general contractor. |