Concrete Repair To Front Steps

[SkunkedAgain]

My wife just ripped out all of the bushes in front of our house. After that process was complete, we finally got a good look at our concrete stairs. There is a large crack/gap running almost from front to back. It looks like part of it was patched at one point. The crack/gap looks a couple of inches deep. I want to get this repaired before another winter takes its toll.

Before I start calling around, does anyone have a guess about what price range it would cost to get that patched?

[SkunkedAgain]

Here is a picture:

[11-87]

I'd trash that one and put up a small landing with a stairs made out of composite lumber...

[trolloni]

dont even bother ,sure you can have some tv educated home show expert slop somethin in there ittil look like this in couple a years again ! either hammer it out pour new back or put some sleepers over it cover it up with some azek,but that stuff is expensive would be real competitive with tear out and replace though probably a half days work compared to tear out and pour back .

[jeffreyd]

What is all the black stuff on the ground next to it? Is that real dirt? I have only seen sand before pretty cool.

[Coach1310]

not sure if you can tell or not, but at my old house, my steps were poured SOLID, no precast formed type of thing...meaning I had concrete about 3 feet thick from the top step to the bottom of the steps at the back!! Just in case you decide to rip them out... so you know what you might be getting into

[SkunkedAgain]

My wife would be pretty happy if we ripped it out and put in a porch, but that's not feasible yet.

I want these steps to last another couple of years until we can do something different. I'd buy some quickcrete at the local store and slop it in there but assume that a professional would be able to do it the right way. Maybe there isn't anything more complicated than throwing in some quickcrete. I don't know.

[BoxMN]

Would some type of concrete "caulk" work better? I.e. soemthing that would expand and contract with temp, to help keep moisture out a bit better? Not sure if it is even a product, but worth asking somebody who would know. Good luck.

[jeffreyd]

why not tear it out, form it up yourself and pour it, could do it fairly cheap i would think.

[SkunkedAgain]

Great point, although I'm only 50% done with my basement remodel project because I keep getting side-tracked with other things. I'll likely replace it in a few, but don't want this crack to get worse in the mean time.

[Tom7227]

I don't think it can be called a crack. Looks to me like it's a total failure of the side. Is the other side like this as well? If so then it would seem that the sides aren't holding anything together and the top landing and stair treads are just laying on top of the filler material beneath them.

If you absolutely positively have to try a repair then you'll have to pry out all the lose stuff and let it dry out a bit. Then you're going to have to trowel in new material and keep it in place with some sort of form that is held in place with a 2x4 angled down to the ground and held in place with another 2x4 stake.

You're looking at probably $20-40 worth of materials and a ugly mess when your done. Why not spend $100 on some treated 2X material and build a set of steps that will look decent and last 10+ years? I'm sure you could find plans on how to do it fairly easily either on line or at a library.

[Steve Foss]

If all you want to get out of it is a couple more years, leave it alone and move on to other things. It'll last a few years as it is. Then come back to it.

[Surface Tension]

You can put lipstick on this pig or give it a make over, its still a pig though.

A quick patch won't last long. Even if you takes all the correct steps you might only get a few years out of the repair.

You have water penetrating the stairs, when it freezes it'll crack up the stairs. If you patch it without stopping the water it'll pop out your patch. As is the water is running out the cracks, plug them up and the water has nowhere to go.

The cracks on the flat surfaces need to be patched. Widen and undercut them with a cold chisel in order to get the patch in there. Problem there is you might end up breaking up the stairs even more. Use a pressure washer to clean out the debris. Use a sand mix or 1 part Portland cement to 2.5 parts clean sand. Either use a bonding agent or prime it with water and Portland. Trowel the patch into the cracks. Seal the stairs to stop the water.

That would be the correct way. Considering the condition and amount of cracks I'd prolly clean it good and use a epoxy paint and hope that it would penetrate and seal all the small cracks.

The crack along the side. Do the same as above but use a stiffer mix, You don't have to fill it all at once, leave it short and scratch the patch so the next coat has something to grab. Prime and paint the sides with whatever you have for cosmetic reasons.

[SFC]

Patch it yourself, dont pay anyone to patch,save your money to pay for it to be replaced. This will last more than a few years, This crack didnt just happen this year, its been like that for a while. Is their a well under your step? The sides of your step looks like someone parged cement over block or maybe poured a step on top of a old one.

[DRH1175]

You said you can't rip out and pour a porch for a couple more years. If that is the case. I would take a cold chisel and chisel out the crack the best you can. Then mix up some mortor or concrete in a low slump form and trowel it in. That would fix it for now. It would make it last a few more years untill you can rip it out and re pour it for a permanent fix.

[JohnMickish]

If all you want is a few years, and your realistic with that, just patch it the best you can to keep the water out. It will last 3 years for sure, and I'm going to say it's lasted like it is for much longer than that. The problem is that before you cleaned up the area you didn't know about it so it wasn't in your head. Just patch and paint some waterproof basement paint over it and start to plan a nice porch.

[SkunkedAgain]

That's what I was thinking. Thanks!

[Surface Tension]

The steps will be around for a long time. Its the patch that has the short shelf life.