Suggestions needed to deal with cracked concrete patio

[trish2]

We have a 15x20 foot cracked concrete patio. Its about 1-2 inches below the sliding glass door from the dining area.  We want to find an inexpensive way to make it look better.  At some point in the distant future we will tear it up when we put an addition on the back of the house, but we would like something that looks a bit nicer in the meantime.

Anyone have any ideas?  We've priced out putting down treks over it to make it look more like a deck....that's a pricey fix.   We found people who make cracked patios look like stone, but the quotes we've gotten on that are well over $1,500; also a pricey fix.

Anyone have any ideas?

[rwanders]

Have you thought of using the two part epoxy finishes usually used to finish garage floor?  It will fill in small cracks and is not expensive.

[glenn kangiser]

I have one you may like - or not.

Get jute erosion control netting or burlap sacks - gunny sacks.  

Put about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of sand over the patio.  

Put the netting or cut flattened sacks over the leveled dampened sand.

Make a stucco mix using about a 1 to three ratio of Plastic Cement (Portland is a bit harder to work).  Preferably go to a concrete company and buy a bag of Fibermesh or equivalent and add a small handful to each batch.  I mix it in a 5 gallon bucket with a heavy duty half inch drill and heavy mixer like used for joint compound etc.  Fibermesh is reinforcement added in the mix, and makes a much stronger floor.  

The cheapest way is to make the mix yourself with cement and playground sand or equivalent.  Use finer sand for repairs such as 30 mesh.  Stucco mix can be used but costs more.  Sometimes I use white in the topping to make the color come out better, but it is not required.

Mix it rather on the wet side instead of dry - like heavy gravy.  There is plenty of cement in there and you want it to penetrate the jute and seal it as it is your reinforcement.  Chicken wire etc will not work as well.  This is a variation of a floor designed in India.  Don't worry about messing up the sand a little as you work.  Knee pads and sliders are helpful.  Plywood or tin will sub for sliders but not real well - it just prevents damage to the troweled floor if you have to redo anything.

I like to use a rounded end swimming pool trowel for finishing and a long wood float for roughing and smoothing.  Roughing it with the wood float opens the pores to let it start hardening  faster also as well as moving it around to fill irregularities.  Don't try to get it all perfect the first time when it is too wet.  Come back in a few minutes to half hour or so as needed to smooth it again.  Water sprayed lightly over the top will help smooth it on the second to final troweling - little is necessary for the hard smooth finish.

If doing the 2 coat finish as recommended, don't trowel it smooth - the wood float is likely smooth enough - so the top coat will have something to stick to.  Add the Fibermesh to all batches.  Fuzzys showing will wear off with use.

It is best to put the stucco mix on in 2 layers of about 1/4 inch deep each.  One heavier will work but there may be more cracks and guaging thickness will be much harder.  The first coat should just be a bit above the jute.  The second one will level dips and allow you to add fiish color.  I put the second on either soon as workable or the next day if possible.  Later will not bond as good but repairs with fine sand , cement and color if desired are easy.  Concrete bonder (old days it was Elmers Glue - new is similar - or the same with a new name?) can be diluted with water and used for bonding the late second coat or repairs for best results.

You can use plain cement color in the first batch then while troweling on the second coat, add either colored liquid or powdered cement colors and trowel them in in uneven light and heavy splotches so that the finish color is variegated.

A shallow grooving tool can be used for a freehand flagstone effect in the wet cement.  A dog or cat can add interesting footprints - rinse their feet afterward if you can catch them.



This is about as cheap as you can get for a durable floor in my opinion.



After it hardens the first day keep it damp for a week or so to make it stronger.  

It is quite a bit of work but not too bad.

[JRR]

Would this work for you?...

Using anchor screws into the existing pad, install PT wood edging along the outer three edges ... or perhaps along all four sides.  I'm thinking strips out of wood decking ... or PT 2x6's, if you have the depth.  Notches/shims on the bottom sides can be provided for drainage.

Then a bed of sand and concrete pavers.  Perhaps a layer of ground fabric before the sand is installed, folded up against the wood edging.

The pavers can be salvaged at a later date for another use.

[trish2]

Wow...thanks for the suggestions.  The epoxy may not work because some of the cracks are wide, but will show husband incase he thinks that might have a chance.

The finish with concrete/burlap etc is what we have been quoted the $1500 to do.  Don't know if our backs could hold up to do the work ourselves.  The mind is sure willing, but these days the body is not cooperating. Twenty years ago we would have hopped on it and been doing it 10 minutes after we read your post with directions.
Maybe if we did it in small batches......

The idea with the PT 2.x 6's will have to be priced out to see if it is financially feasible and we will have to measure CAREFULLY to see if we have the clearances under the slider.

Thanks for the input....keep the ideas coming. We can use all the help we can get.
Trish

[glenn kangiser]

The concrete /burlap could easily be done in small sections.  The floor section above with the chairs is about 8x10 but could be broken into any manageable size.  I put the wood in and leave it in after screeding my sand off from it.  The next section starts on the other side with boards added as desired.