Repairing concrete stairs to the basement

[frazwood]

Our house has a set of concrete stairs leading to the basement. They're made of concrete. In many locations, the concrete has eroded or cracked or it's simply gone. So, we get a little bit of wetness on these stairs.

I was thinking that I could repair these stairs such that the repairs would stop the leaking. I know that people normally use "hydraulic cement" to repair leaking basements (what is hydraulic cement? How is it different/unique?), which is kind of what this is... but kind of not either.

How would you repair the stairs? I'm open to all suggestions... Thanks!

[jentz]

They most likly sweat also,Instead of a lot of work that may or not work,Just fill the craks with vinyl patch cement and use outdoor carpet glued down.

[birdswacker]

I would call Broch White these guys are very knowlegable for different concrete applications and products. There off of 280 & Como in St. Paul.

[frazwood]

Ironically, I discovered this problem when I removed some outdoor carpet from the stairs. The carpet was wet all of the time (that is, CONTINUOUSLY), so I figured that I might have a mold problem underneath.

The thing is... these stairs aren't cracked, they have fist-sized chunks missing in parts... I can see dirt underneath.

I'm going to try the vinyl patch cement. Thanks! I'm not worried about a little sweating... I want to cover/hide the dirt.