Yakima Concrete Contractors

These companies specialize in concrete work, including building and pouring concrete forms for sidewalks, driveways and home and office foundations. If you are building a new home in Yakima, or need to have a new driveway or sidewalk poured, call one of these contractors today.

Cracked Cement Driveways: DIY Fixes

Fixing small cracks in your concrete driveway can be done with just a shop vac and cement colored silicone. Use the shop vacuum to remove any dust and debris from the driveway crack. Then inject the silicone calking into the driveway crack and use your finger and some paint thinner to give it a smooth and finished look.

To repair bigger cracks in your cement driveway, grab a concrete repair kit from Ace Hardware or Sears, or order one online from Amazon.com or Buy.com. To fix the cracks in your cement, you're going to need a buck and trowel, as well as a shop-vac, and a hand-held grinder to use to "chase" the crack with.

Clean the crack with a brush, or the shop-vac, to remove any broken pieces of concrete or gravel that could be thrown up by the grinding wheel. Use the hand grinder to grind the crack in the driveway to a depth of 1/2" or more. Make sure you grind the crack in the concrete it's full length, so that moisture can't get in the ends of the crack when you're done. Use the shop-vac to remove all the concrete dust and debris from the work area when you've finished grinding.

Use the primer that came with your concrete repair kit to fill the crack. If you're repair kit only came with a single product, use it as the primer too. Sprinkle a fine layer of sand over the primer while it's still wet, and then let it stand until it's dry to the touch.

Now fill the crack with the main compound that came with the cement repair kit. Once it's full, and working fast so it doesn't dry out, fill the crack in the cement with the masonry sand. Remove any extra sand and concrete filler with a trowel, or putty knife, while it's still wet and set it aside. Use the damp sand mixture to fill any holes or cracks that where missed, or aren't completely full. Use the hand grinder to smooth the crack repair once it's dry. With careful feathering of the grinding wheel, the surfaces can be blended so that the crack is no longer visible.