How to repair concrete apron for garage?

[Steph777]

 

 

Hi all! I am hoping to get some advice on how to resurface the concrete strip (apron) in front of my garage. The erosion of the surface is only a few mm deep in places, exposing the aggregate, and up to 10mm deep in places.
I will need to drive in and out over the repair.

I am happy to paint or stain the area to blend it in (maybe also paint the garage floor to finish the job).

Has anyone done this and can recommend a product/s for a long term solution?

[JacobZ]

Hi @Steph777,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it's brilliant to have you join us.

Is there a reason that the concrete has eroded like this? Does water pool here during heavy rain? Is there a garage door that hits the concrete?

If there is an issue that has caused this, I'd suggest you look to fix this issue before repairing the concrete. If you believe there is no ongoing issue that would negatively affect a repair, then you're fine to proceed.

Due to the heavy load applied to your concrete apron when driving over it, I would suggest a structural grout such as Lanko 701 Duragrout Structural Grouting could be used to fill the voids and smooth the surface.

Please remember to wear the relevant personal protective equipment when working with cement products, specifically gloves, eye protection and most importantly a mask or respirator.

Once the grout has been applied, you could use the Dulux Concrete & Paving Range to paint the apron and conceal some of the less aesthetically pleasing elements.

You might like to check out How To Paint Concrete Floors for some guidance.

Let me know what you think and if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[Steph777]

Thanks for the response JacobZ.

The area has been like this since I bought the house 10 years ago. Neighbour has the same problem so I think it was just a poor concrete pour or unprotected while curing? Hasn’t changed in all this time. No water pooling, not a drip area, no garage door touches here. 

I see the product is for 10-100mm depth, so will this be strong enough to drive on if it is only 1-5mm deep in parts?  

Also, as there is a slight slope I won’t be able to make a self levelling mix, so I think it will need to be thicker and troweled on?

[JacobZ]

Hi @Steph777,

Apologies, that is an oversight on my behalf. 

As you've said, the Lanko 701 is suitable for applications between 10-100mm thick, so in your concretes current state, it is not usable. 

If you wanted to paint the concrete, you would need to grind the concrete back so that it can accept the Lanko 701. This is certainly doable, but any kind of concrete grinding comes with risks, most notably airborne silica dust.

You can use Sika 1L High Strength Epoxy Repair Adhesive Concrete Fix Kit as thin as 0.5mm thick, however, it would not be paintable. It is a concrete grey colour, so it could be skim-coated over the entire area to match the surrounding concrete.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

[Steph777]

Hi again,

Sounds like that would work, but not painting the area means I can’t match it to the garage concrete, so the repair will stand out. 

Looking at some alternative products online, would Dunlop 5kg Ardit Rapidset Repair Mortar be strong enough to drive on? 

[MitchellMc]

You could potentially try the Dunlop 5kg Ardit Rapidset Repair Mortar @Steph777, but it really doesn't have the compressive strength required for a car driving over it. It's for things like footpaths.

In the long run, whatever repair you do is only going to be as good as the degraded concrete underneath. So, you'd need to consider whether having it cut out and replaced would be the best option. Since it's not a large area, the cost of having this done could be reasonably budget-friendly.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[Steph777]

Thanks for the input guys…looks like I  need to give this some more thought.