The Best Ways to Maintain Your Concrete Surfaces

Your Concrete Surfaces

Concrete is one of the most popular materials people choose in landscaping. One of the main reasons is its versatility because you can use it as pavers or just pour it on the surface. Concrete is also durable, and you can customize the color and texture finish depending on your aesthetic goals.

 

However, concrete surfaces get beat up over time, mainly because of exposure to weather elements like any other material. Some of the tips you can use to maintain the new and uniform look of your concrete include:

 

Cleaning

 

This is one of the basic yet essential maintenance practices for your concrete surfaces. Concrete is porous, which makes liquids sip through it, which could easily stain it. Therefore, you should clean your concrete surface immediately after pouring anything on it.

 

Cleaning also helps remove weeds and grass that could be growing along the edge and joints. These make the surface look bad and could also cause cracks because of the root system expansion.

 

For regular cleaning, you only need to use soap and water. For tougher stains, you can use vinegar, baking soda, and bleach, but don’t use harsh chemicals as that could damage the surface. You could also use a pressure washer, but avoid using it along any cracks.

 

Sealing

 

This is the most effective way to keep water from slipping into the concrete, which eventually causes cracks. If you are using concrete pavers, ensure you fill the joints often. This prevents water from sipping into the concrete through the joints.

 

It also prevents dirt from accumulating in them or weeds growing in them, making the pavers lose.

If you are not using pavers, ensure you seal the concrete surface at least once in two years. This helps repel moisture and stains, offers surface resistance against abrasion and UV rays, and makes it dustproof.

 

How often you reseal your concrete surface depends on the type of sealer you use, weather conditions, and traffic on the concrete surface. If you use an acrylic-resin sealer, you need to redo it after around two years. However, if you use a penetrating sealer, you can go for ten years without redoing it.

 

Repair cracks as soon as possible

 

One of the downsides of using concrete in landscaping is its vulnerability to cracks. Even the smallest cracks could cause a lot of damage to the surface because it allows moisture and debris to penetrate the surface.

 

Therefore, it is essential you repair cracks as soon as you see them. You can repair small cracks yourself, but it is best to call the professionals for more significant cracks. To prevent cracks, avoid dropping heavy and sharp objects on the surface.

 

You should also wipe off any fertilizer that falls on the surface as you fertilize the vegetation. That is because the chemicals in the fertilizer affect the concrete, causing cracks and other degeneration forms.

 

Apply a new surface

 

Even with a sealer, your concrete surface might suffer and look old because of the traffic and weather elements. Recoating the surface after around three to five years will keep it looking new and fresh and increase its durability. You can also renew the concrete surface by adding new paint or finish to the new coat.

To ensure that the new coat properly adheres to the old one, it’s important to sweep, pressure wash, or etch the old surface.

 

Use the right deicing products

 

Experts recommend that you don’t use deicing chemicals on your concrete surfaces, especially before they are one year old. Since deicing chemicals work by changing the temperatures, they expose your concrete surface to a freeze and thaw cycle, which could cause cracking.

 

The saline solution, which the chemicals form from the ice and snow, penetrates through the porous concrete surface. They expand and contract as they freeze, inducing more damage.

 

You should also check the chemical composition of the deckers you use. This is because those containing ammonium sulfates and ammonium nitrates chemically attack the concrete. Calcium chloride or sodium chloride don’t affect the concrete too much chemically, but be careful not to use them on the vegetation around.

 

The safest way to deice tour concrete is using sand or scraping and shoveling. However, you should avoid using metal shovels and instead use plastic ones. You should also raise your snow blower’s blades to prevent scratching the surface.

 

Call the professionals

 

Whether you want to repair cracks, reseal, or recoat your concrete surface, the best way to get quality services is by calling the professionals. At Jireh Asphalt and Concrete, we are here to help with all your concrete needs.

 

We guarantee you the best results with our highly trained and experienced employees, state-of-the-art equipment, and high-quality materials.

 

Before starting the job, we will show you a gallery of our past work or inspiration photos and videos to help you choose what you want. Our professionals will work with you in every step of the job, ensuring that you get what you ask for.

 

We also inspect the nature and size of the job before we start, then give you an accurate and well-detailed quote. Call us today for more information or get your free quote.