This project is continued from Part 1.
The crack in the outside corner of the patio slab was filled with sand to within 1″ of the surface forming a channel to hold the Emecole 555. Some run out from the side of the slab occurred, but not so much that I though it too wasteful.
Repairing Cracked Concrete Slab Corner with Emecole 555
I made three passes over the crack, refilling the channel with the Emecole 555 as the material soaked into the crack. A cartridge of Emecole 555 is normally good for 100ft to 200ft of narrow cracks, I had now emptied over half the cartridge into a 7 foot long, wide crack in the 6″ to 10″ thick concrete slab.
Third Pass over the Concrete Slab Crack with Emecole 555
The channel was topped off with more sand to soak up the Emecole 555 and bring it even with the slab.
Filling the Channel with Sand
Several more passes of Emecole 555 were applied to the top coat of sand. It was better to make several light passes so the Emecole could soak into the sand, rather than a single heavy pass that would largely run off.
Finish Coat of Emecole 555
The crack was beveled off and tailored with a putty knife. The Emecole and sand forms a grout like mixture that was smoothed down for an even transition between the uneven slabs. Excess grout is tossed in the plastic jar. I packed some of the wet grout into the vertical crack along the edge of patio slab (see the first photo on this page).
Smoothing the Emecole 555 Sanded Grout Mixture
A light dusting of sand is spread over the curing Emecole 555 after scraping up the excess with the putty knife.
Light Dusting of Sand
I used the entire cartridge of Emecole 555 to fill this wide and deep crack.
Concrete Slab Crack Repaired with Emecole 555 Fast polyurea
Emecole 555 Finish Grinding
The outside temperature was 48 degrees and dry on this early November afternoon. The Emecole 555 gelled within a few minutes, but took longer to fully cure and harden as judged by the Emecole sand/grout I saved in the plastic jar. With the temperature dropping to the high 20′s overnight, I left the Emecole to harden overnight.
The next morning, I swept off the loose sand and finish grinded the cured Emecole 555 with the angle grinder and masonry wheel.
Finish Grinding the Emecole 555 Concrete Slab Repair
The results were amazing! The Emecole was rock-hard, felt like concrete, ground to feather edge and turned to a concrete gray color.
Cracked Concrete Slab Repair with Emecole 555 Fast polyurea
The buffed Emecole is paintable and will blend with the rest of the slab when I restain the patio.
Application Tip
If I were to do this again – I would prime the beveled edges of the crack that I had ground on the concrete slab with some Emecole 555 squirted into a cup and painted on with a disposable foam brush. The primed concrete edges would have sealed more easily as I smoothed down the Emecole / sand grout mixture. As it were, I needed to make sure the grout was sufficiently moist to wet the beveled edge of the concrete. It’s really more of a cosmetic improvement if you need to fix a highly uneven crack such as this.
Hope this helps,
Bob Jackson
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Great report on the use of this product. I have a similar issue w/ my stamped patio. I’m curious how the repair has held up over the course of time. Any updates would be appreciated. Thanks again. After reviewing all the commercial material of this product and seeing a report from a diy as yourself. I feel better about pulling the trigger.
It’s been a hard winter with extended periods of subfreezing weather, snow and ice, yet Emecole 555 has performed well with no signs of cracking or slab movement.
I read both your Concrete Slab Repair and Cracked Concrete Patio articles. I really appreciate the detailed photos and comments “along the way” enough so that I feel I can take the task of repair on. Thanks for a fabulous job on these articles.
So glad i found your site bob. Heat in Texas this summer has caused cracks in slab foundations. Cost to jack or pump under is just sky high
and this should do the trick.
Great 2 articles and thanks agin.
JIM
Thanks for such a detailed report…its nice to have people take so much time to help!
We’ll be trying it in a few weeks, hope all goes well!
I have a cracked patio that I plan to fix following this. Do you think I could tile the patio after I fix the crack?
Awesome article, and thanks in advance for your help!
Tile will be fine it the patio is dimensionally stable and the concrete surface is clean and unpainted. If the patio slab continues to settle and crack, the tile will crack, too. The concrete slab must be unpainted for the thinset mortar to bond properly. I prefer Laticrete thinset and grout products.
I figured out what caused my patio slab to crack: chipmunks burrowed under that section of the concrete slab & steps on two sides, causing it to settle and crack. I installed metal yard edging to prevent them from tunneling under the slab.
Great article. Have you stained your concrete yet? I’m curious how your concrete looks now and how well the stain will hide the repaired crack.
The original coat of concrete stain was flaking off in places after 4 years or so. I recently pressure washed the concrete patio to remove the loose stain and dirt, then applied two coats of Sherwin Williams Exterior Porch & Floor Enamel. The Sherwin Williams store manager said the Porch & Floor Enamel would stick to old stain and do a better job. The results look great and it’s a much more substantive coating compared to concrete stain. Meets ADA requirements for slip resistance on floors. It stuck to the Emecole 555 epoxy just fine.