If you use a bag of "cement all", which costs 6 times more than concrete, you can repair the face of a step with a flat trowel in 20 minutes (cement all hardens in 10 minutes), then apply another mix to the top of the step in another 20 minutes. In an hour you can repair a step. "Cement All" sticks to clean cement and will not come off.
How do you fix a corner on a concrete step?
Align the wood form. Place the wood form against the damaged corner of the concrete step so it is flush with the top of the step. Tape the form to the step firmly with duct tape. Lubricate the form.
How do you fix cracked concrete steps?
To patch cracked corners, chisel them out to a depth of at least 3/4 in. Then drill holes and drive in concrete screws as anchors, apply a bonding adhesive and fill with crack-resistant concrete. The patch won’t match the color or texture of the steps, so you may want to recoat all the steps with concrete resurfacer for a uniform look.
How do you make a concrete step out of wood?
Screw 2 short pieces of 1 inch by 6 inch (2.54 cm by 15.24 cm) lumber together at a 90-degree angle to form an "L" shape. The form can also be held together using several long pieces of duct tape. Align the wood form. Place the wood form against the damaged corner of the concrete step so it is flush with the top of the step.
How do you smooth a cement step?
Overfill the wood form slightly. Smooth the newly laid cement. Use the flat side of the trowel to smooth the cement so it is flush with the remaining portion of the step. Don't be afraid to apply pressure.
How can I make my concrete front steps look better?
You can simply repaint it, add bricks, tiles, wood panels or decorative stones. Also you can place plants, lanterns and other decorative details at your front steps. All these steps can give a whole new look to your resurface concrete patio.
Can I paint my front cement steps?
Masonry paint, also called elastomeric paint, is a good choice for concrete steps because it contains binders that contract and expand with the concrete. Other types of paint can crack and peel on concrete. Make sure the concrete is very dry before you paint.
How do you refurbish concrete steps?
1:434:47How To Resurface Concrete Steps / Cement Stair Repair ... - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou can use some chemical strippers. We found the quickest way is to use a concrete grinder. So hereMoreYou can use some chemical strippers. We found the quickest way is to use a concrete grinder. So here you see the concrete grinding process where he's using a hand grinder to remove all the paint.
How much does it cost to paint concrete steps?
about $350 to $450Repainting Concrete Steps Some concrete stairs that need repainting are inside of a home. You can paint your indoor stairs yourself or hire a professional interior painter to do the job for about $350 to $450.
Remove Old Carpet
The carpet tore off really easily. Only one corner took some muscle to pull off, but the rest wasn’t glued down well at all. I used a knife to cut the carpet into smaller chunks as I went, and pliers gave me a good grip as I pulled up the pieces.
Supplies For Patching Concrete Steps
Feeling determined to spruce up these steps before we listed our house for sale this summer, I set out to attempt patching our front steps.
Clean Cracks
I used a wire brush, a cheap paintbrush and a paint scraper to remove the loose dust and debris. Then I turned my hose nozzle to the highest pressure stream I could get and blasted water into all the crevices. This loosened more concrete chunks!
Mix & Apply Concrete Patcher
I used Quikrete Vinyl Concrete Patcher for this project, mixed with bonding adhesive per the package instructions.
Allow To Cure & Then Paint
Once the concrete was completely dry, I painted a coat Rustoleum’s Deck & Concrete Restore paint in the Granite color. This paint is specially designed for concrete patios. It is super thick so it fills in hairline cracks and provides durable coverage.
What to do with extra bucket of concrete?
Keeping an extra bucket of concrete on hand is a smart move. It will come in handy to if you need to fill any voids that may be lurking behind the form boards. Keep the bucket covered and out of the sun.
How far down do 2x8 steps go?
Today’s 2x8s actually measure 7-1/4 inches. Install the first step flush with the top of the form and the consecutive steps down 7-1/4 inches below the one above it.
How deep should footings be in Minnesota?
The depth of these footings varies depending on the climate in the area. Footings in this part of Minnesota need to be 4-ft. deep to prevent the frost from heaving the stoop. The new footings and the stoop can poured at the same time.
Do stoops need footings?
A stoop needs to sit on footings. If there are no footings in place, new footings need to be added. This crew usually installs pier footings, like the ones that some decks and porches are supported by. For a stoop this size they would have installed four, one at every corner.
Can concrete stoop crush curb appeal?
A shabby stoop can crush a home’s overall curb appeal. And while building concrete steps is more complicated than pouring a simple sidewalk, it’s probably not as hard as you might think. We spent the day with the masons at Above Quality Inc., and they showed us how they pour concrete steps that look great and will last for decades. They gave us simple step-by-step instructions that even a beginner could follow and some great tips that long-time pros will appreciate.
Can you put concrete on a house?
It’s okay if some of the old concrete sticks to the house. But it’s important to clean off the top area or it will show, especially if the new stoop is going to be poured at the same level or lower than the old one. Knock off the remnants with a hammer and cold chisel.
Can you put a stoops in concrete?
Stoops are not one solid monolithic hunk of concrete, or at least they shouldn’t be. You are going to need some fill in the center, so you might as well leave the concrete you just busted up in place. Remove or reduce any chunks larger than a football.
How do concrete steps break up?
Concrete steps break up, especially in northern climates. Water soaks into the concrete, freezes and breaks off the outside corners. Once that starts, the damage spreads along the front edge of the step, eventually turning the step into a ramp.
How thick of concrete do I need to remove a stair cap?
You must remove at least 3/4 in. of concrete (3/4 in. is the minimum thickness for a cap). But a thicker cap is stronger, so try to remove 1-1/2 in. of concrete or more. Switch to the angle grinder to cut the remaining concrete where the stair tread meets the riser (Photo 4).
What tools do I need to make a concrete float?
Sledgehammer. You’ll also need diamond blades for the saws, irrigation system parts for an improvised water line, a concrete mixing tub, a wood float, an edger, a shovel, a masonry brush and pairs of rubber and leather gloves.
How to rig up a water line?
Rig up a water line using irrigation system parts. Water keeps the blade cool and eliminates dust. In addition to the parts shown here, you’ll need an adapter to connect the tubing to a garden hose.
Can you repair a sinking step?
No repair lasts forever. And replacement is the only real fix for steps that are sinking or have deep cracks. But if your steps are level and have only the usual damage that goes a few inches deep, you can save yourself a ton of money and/or labor by patching or recapping them.
Is it cheaper to repair concrete steps?
Usually, it’s cheaper to repair concrete steps than it is to build new ones. Rick Muscoplat, an expert at The Family Handyman, will show you how to resurface the concrete after you make the repair to make the old and new concrete match perfectly.
Why are front steps important?
In summer we sit on them, watching our children play, or chatting with the neighbors, or simply sipping iced tea. Front steps are meant to welcome guests, to invite friends and family in for a spell. But while they need to be sturdy, they don't have to be humdrum. They should be just as appealing as the rest of our home's exterior. And yet, front steps are often overlooked by homeowners looking to upgrade their property, perhaps simply because they're so functional. A good front step revamp can transform the whole look of a house, adding plenty of curb appeal for little money or effort, as the following DIY front step ideas prove.
Do front steps have to be humdrum?
But while they need to be sturdy, they don't have to be humdrum. They should be just as appealing as the rest of our home's exterior. And yet, front steps are often overlooked by homeowners looking to upgrade their property, perhaps simply because they're so functional.
