How To Preserve Your Concrete Surfaces
Keeping up your concrete can be a little time consuming. That is, if you want your concrete surfaces to look as new and clean as possible, you need to invest in a little bit of maintenance over the years. This is mostly simple DIY maintenance, and it isn't very time consuming. This article explains how cleaning your concrete and instantly repairing small cracks is going to keep it looking nice and new.
Cleaning Your Concrete
First of all, you can clean your concrete in many ways. Obviously sweeping away dirt and dust is just part of it. There are bound to be more significant stains that get absorbed into the concrete pores. These will need to be scrubbed away with a brush or hose. If available, the absolute best tool for a thorough concrete cleaning is a pressure washer. With a little bit of mild soap, and a powerful pressurize water stream, you can remove even the most stubborn stains.
Preventing Concrete Stains
You should also consider a few things to prevent your concrete from getting dirty in the first place. Many homeowners will apply clearcoat or tinted glaze over their existing concrete, which helps to waterproof it and protect it from stains. Tinted glazes are actually nice because they hide stains and make the less noticeable. But, even a clear stain is going to repel dirt and make it much easier to clean the concrete in the long run.
Immediate Crack Repair
It is also helpful if you fix small cracks as soon as you noticed them. If the cracks are extremely small, like the width of a fingernail, there's probably no point in repairing them. However, once you get over 1/4" wide, you need to start worrying about them wearing down more. You also need to be concerned with weeds and grass growing out of the cracks. This can lead to staining on your concrete. The edges of cracks can get rubbed and chipped over time, especially if you are walking or driving on the surface.
Filling the crack will protect the edges and ultimately reduce the crack from growing. Using over-the-counter crack filler is a cheap and easy solution for homeowners, even if you don't have any experience working on concrete. It comes premixed and can be simply applied to any crack or void with just a putty knife.
If you fix cracks immediately, apply a glaze finish to your surface, and clean your concrete on a regular basis, it will look newer and cleaner. Contact a company, like E & H Concrete , for more help.