How Do You Reface Concrete Steps?
How Do You Reface Concrete Steps?
Many buildings, such as steps, are commonly composed of concrete, making them long-lasting and extremely sturdy. In typical situations, concrete steps can survive for decades, but weather and constant usage can wear down the surface, causing fractures and chips.
Refacing concrete steps, also known as resurfacing, smooths their top layer, extending their life and making them seem fresh.
Most home improvement stores have resurfacing materials that are meant to be applied with little extra gear.
The resurfacing material hardens rapidly and may be hand-formed without drooping over existing concrete.
- Combine bleach and water in a ratio of 12 quarts of bleach to 1 gallon of water. Apply the mixture to the concrete stairs’ surface using a scrub brush in a circular motion, including inside cracks.
- Use a power washer capable of producing 3,500 pounds per square inch (psi) of pressure to wash the bleach-water combination off the stairs.
With the power washer, make gradual, even sweeps 6 to 8 inches above the surface of the stairs.
- Insert weatherstripping into the expansion joints of the steps by firmly pushing the strips down the whole length of each joint with your fingertips.
The weatherstripping will help keep the joints looking nice and prevent concrete resurfacing from flowing into the joints.
Expansion joints are gaps between neighbouring concrete pieces that are generally 1/2 inch wide and 1 inch deep.
- In a 5-gallon bucket, mix 1 part water to 7 parts concrete resurfacer using a power drill and paddle mixer until the slurry is lump-free and pourable. A concrete resurfacer is a blend of cement, sand, polymer, and additives.
- Use the concrete resurfacer-water mixture to fill cracks and pits in the concrete steps. Traverse the filled defects with a trowel until the resurfacer mixture is level with the existing concrete. Allow up to five hours for the resurfacer mixture to dry.
- Using a long-handled squeegee, apply an equal, 1/4-inch thick coating of the resurfacer-water combination over the entire surface of the stairs.
With the squeegee, make long, smooth strokes, and use the resurfacer mixture to cover all the exposed parts of the stairs — top, front, and sides.
With the trowel, shape rounded areas, such as the front of the steps, by following the original form. Allow six hours for the resurfacer mixture to dry.
- Sweep a broad, nylon-bristled broom over the steps, gently pushing its bristles into the still-wet resurfacer and completing a complete sweep across the top of each step without pausing.
After sweeping with the broom, wait 20 minutes before removing the weatherstripping.
Can Concrete Steps Be Lifted?
When most people think of concrete, they think of a hard, unchanging, and inflexible material. However, concrete can be quite versatile, and one of its most useful properties is its ability to be lifted.
This is because concrete is a material that can be molded and shaped when it is wet, and then it hardens into a strong and durable state when it dries.
So, if you need to lift a concrete object, you can use a wet concrete mixture and mold it around the object.
Once the concrete dries, it will be strong enough to lift the object. This method is often used for lifting heavy objects, such as statues or monuments.
