Pro Tip: How to Fill, Seal & Repair Concrete Cracks Like a Pro | Sakrete Concrete Repair Guide

[@smccrory]

This is exactly what a company's product video should be - direct, solution-based with a demo and with just the right amount or repetition. Bonus points for chapter timestamps! I'm off to the store now...

[@SakreteOfficial]

We'll see you there! Hit us up if you run into any questions along the way.

[@richardhausman8688]

Thank you, question. A big oak tree fell amd pushed our concrete fountain over. It has some cracks but not broken. Some cracks are deep and some not so much. I would like to be able to put water in it again. What sequence of products do you recomment?

[@SakreteOfficial]

Doing a quick surface coating of Top 'N Bond feels like a solid solution. Anything you can do to widen those cracks in order to fit some material down in there will be great, but a good surface coating will "refresh" the look, if nothing else.

[@arthurrodesiler3109]

Best thing I have found is liquid nail and a putty knife to spread it. May have to do it a few times. It is cheap and it last as long as the expensive stuff. Its not the right color but it works and is cheap. Only last a few years in the winters and a crack shows up as much as liquid nail. I have also used bondo that they use for body work on cars. I use both depending on the crack. Bondo if you want a smooth surface is fast with a belt sander.

[@SakreteOfficial]

Interesting approach. Biggest concern would be expansion/contraction since Liquid Nails really isn't designed to flex. But good solution in a pinch!

[@TDBear-bs6zl]

Exactly what I came here to see, thanks for your southern hospitality and knowledgeable input. 😊

[@SakreteOfficial]

Our pleasure!

[@billmitchell5805]

Thank you so much with your great explanation of each product and their uses. I have two problems, my crack between concrete garage floor and block wall varies between 1/2" to 3/4" wide and the depth varies from 1" to 2" deep. The bottom of this space is all dirt. So I guess my first step is to level with sand? I have tamped down the dirt.

[@SakreteOfficial]

You're spot on. Get yourself to a nice, consistent 1/2" depth across the entire crack and you'll be good to go. Our Self-Leveling Sealant should be the perfect solution for this one!

[@ShaunButterley]

That was exactly what i needed to see. Thanks.😍

[@SakreteOfficial]

Right on - glad we could help!

[@michaelsnarr7557]

How do I fix a crack in slab that is less than 1/16” wide?

[@SakreteOfficial]

That's a pretty superficial crack that can probably be handled with a post-applied waterproofing sealer. There are also some specialty (read: pricey!), ultra-low viscosity resin-based materials that are rated for that small of a crack. Might look into those products as an option as well.

[@chuck9434]

Which is the fastest curing as in how soon can it be driven on?

[@SakreteOfficial]

No great advice for you here, unfortunately - all of our sealants are in the 72-hour range for drive-on rating.

[@brittanyanderson1455]

I have cracks that have triangled to the point where a chunk of concrete will probably fall off either side of my porch if not addressed soon. Is this better left to a repair company, or can we repair ourselves woth these products? Wonderinf if we should break off the pieces and use the method you used on the Edge video...

[@SakreteOfficial]

Without seeing the porch, it sounds like it'd be best to knock off all of that loose concrete and re-build! Definitely doable as a DIY project...just gets trickier as the repair gets larger. Shoot us a message on Facebook / Instagram with some photos and we'll dig into it!

[@Canuklhead]

is it one or the other or i need to use the filler first, then seal?

[@SakreteOfficial]

Typically it's best to choose a SINGLE product that fits the criteria for your repair and stick with that one alone.

[@keningilbert]

My garage is a wood shop. I have equipment rolling around and the control joints are a pain to try and tool over. Which product would create a solid surface to roll over?

[@SakreteOfficial]

Short of going with a full-on epoxy floor solution, sounds like a job for Top 'N Bond. Extremely user-friendly mix that goes down to a really nice feather edge - should work well for that application. Just be mindful about protecting the bulk of those control joints - you don't want to immobilize the slab for the sake of a smooth surface. Insert some open-cell backer rod into the joint (which you might need to widen to get down into) before laying a thin patch of Top 'N Bond. Final note: be prepared for these patches to fail if and when the expansion joints move!

[@JP-xo6tq]

Had to leave for an emergency after applying the Sakrete concrete crack filler. Never got to remove the excess and now it's dry. Could I sand it down for a better look since its near my main door?

[@SakreteOfficial]

Absolutely doable. Just use a fine-grit sandpaper for the best possible results...it'll take a while, but you won't tear the material as easily if you use a 120-ish grit sandpaper.

[@Spratlyk9]

Thanks for the information! Really appreciate it! I would like to fill/cover a controlled joint in my garage in preparation to applying epoxy finish on the entire surface/garage. What is the best product to use? Thanks!

[@SakreteOfficial]

Definitely check with your coating manufacturer first, but the Poly Self-Leveling will likely be your best bet. Just need to make sure there's no interaction between the polyurethane and your epoxy!

[@Spratlyk9]

@@SakreteOfficial Thank You!

[@citticat2]

@@SakreteOfficial How is that supposed to happen when you use concrete repair poly and then cover the garage with epoxy?

[@luisduenas3718]

Which product cures the darkest?

[@richardreyes3]

Great information. If I want to fill a crack and then use concrete stain to stain the concrete walkway, which would you recommend?

[@SakreteOfficial]

Generally speaking, a polyurethane product is going to do best with stains and paints. Check the label on both first!

[@Imjuslookinatthis]

It would be nice to see you do a long vertical crack!

[@SakreteOfficial]

Good call - we'll look at that one next time we're in the studio!

[@jackfrost413]

Which would you recommend for a crack in a vertical concrete column that’s holding up a basketball net?

[@SakreteOfficial]

Structural or just aesthetic? Sounds like a good candidate for Concrete Repair! www.sakrete.com/product/concrete-repair-tube/

[@andrewpolasek5524]

Since concrete is porous, why is water intrusion an issue through a crack in a driveway?

[@SakreteOfficial]

The amount of water that makes it though a crack is going to be SIGNIFICANTLY larger than water that migrates through the slab naturally - potentially enough to cause subsurface erosion that will further compromise the slab. That'd be the biggest concern. In cold climates, freeze/thaw naturally becomes a big problem as well. Either way, sealing those cracks is your best bet for extending the life of your slab!

[@richlacey5356]

is this product paintable

[@SakreteOfficial]

Yep - just give it 7 days to reach a full cure before painting.

[@MrBill99]

Better close up needed. Seems to be a lot of overlap between products making it unclear except for self-leveling which is best.

[@SakreteOfficial]

Definitely a fair amount of overlap - especially between Crack Filler, Concrete Repair and Poly Non-Sag. Good note on the closeups...we'll work on that. In the meantime, a quick breakdown... Crack Filler - made for easy application. Smooth texture, latex-based. Concrete Repair - requires a caulk gun, light sand texture to better match concrete, latex-based. Poly Non-Sag - smooth texture, best bet if you're working on vertical applications. Hopefully that's helpful!

[@ZarpeParadise]

That was great and answered my question about using polyurethane base product. Unfortunately, this brand is not available in Costa Rica but EXCELLENT explanation!

[@SakreteOfficial]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kevinkleinhenz6511]

You don’t address large driveway cracks. Got an old house in SouthEast Texas and the driveway has huge cracks. I assume mortar according to other videos but don’t see a product here that fits that job.

[@SakreteOfficial]

Kevin, depending on how deep you're looking at, it's probably a job for Top 'N Bond. Check out this video and let us know if we're headed in the right direction. kzbin.info/www/bejne/paqraX-rjMSYbtU If the cracks are deeper than 1/2", you could either fill with some backer rod first, OR go up to Pro-Mix All Purpose Cement Mix.

[@anthonynotarino1996]

What would you use to fill a crack has gone through to the ground ( Dirt ) and I want to resurface over the repair after it is complete ? What product in your line would you recommend... I will use the Flo Coat as the top coat, not sure how to handle the wider and deeper cracks...

[@SakreteOfficial]

Gotta start with the boilerplate - a crack means that there is something wrong underneath the slab. Any repair is probably (unfortunately) temporary! That said...sounds like you probably want to go with either Fast Setting Cement Patcher (doing 2" lifts at a time), or Pro-Mix All-Purpose Cement if you want to knock it out in one pour. Correct that Flo-Coat would be your top coat! But again, you really might want to rip out and re-pour if you've got a crack that goes all the way through the slab. That's the best solution!

[@DonnaHaught-b6i]

Sissy, thanks for this video , very informative, now to measure and get some sand. Love needy sis

[@SakreteOfficial]

Let us know how it goes!

[@greyaye8565]

This was super useful for a first time homebuyer that found some cracks I needed to seal. Thank you! As a side note, you're using "viscous" in the exact opposite way from its definition. Viscosity is resistance to flow, so if something is very viscous, it's very resistant to flow. Low viscosity is like water/oil, high viscosity is honey/magma. So if that stuff is extremely viscous, it won't flow down into a crack.

[@SakreteOfficial]

Good catch on the "viscous" definition...though I think Dirk used it correctly here. It flows, but SLOWLY - honey is a good analogy! Let us know your thoughts when you get your hands on some.

[@woodpecker7747]

Thanks for the nice presentation. However, it would've helped if you showed us a closeup of the labels of each produst. Thanks.

[@SakreteOfficial]

Good note - we'll look at that next time we're in the studio!

[@cdb989]

First thing you have to address is why did it crack. Once you find that answer that’s what you address

[@SakreteOfficial]

You are right on the money!

[@bailey9r]

Because it is concrete.

[@jeffreysisson271]

Change in the ground and when it’s hot it expands and when it’s cold it condesnses causing those cracks

[@AngelDeJesus-m3c]

There are two types of concrete. Uncracked and cracked.

[@brandonbell5357]

Nah you fuckin know who or how it cracks lmao

[@TimBrown-e9l]

I dont like using sand to fill the crack because the sand makes the crack "dirty" again. Backer rod is pointless too because why not just fill the crack with the sealant product, let it dry and go over again if necessary instead of backer rod?

[@SakreteOfficial]

Concern would be that you're just letting sealant flow UNDER the slab and wasting a ton of material and / or exceeding the rated depth of the sealant. Backer rod is a small annoyance, but definitely the way to go!

[@shane250]

​@@SakreteOfficial But what if what I'm after is the most rigid solution, and I don't mind wasting product. Meaning, I'll pour the polyurethane product as a backer rod, then come back the next day and do the top layer above it. Won't this hold better than only having the product trying to hold the concrete together by only 1\2" thickness?

[@Mowglibaloo2]

I hate sand... It gets everywhere

[@jtselnegativo]

Buenísimo

[@SakreteOfficial]

Gracias mucho, jefe!

[@cryptocrush-823]

There’s 2 kinds of concrete: cracked concrete, and concrete that will crack.

[@SakreteOfficial]

Preach!

[@nomasker1360]

Put sand on the product when wet ,it'll hide better

[@SakreteOfficial]

There's a real pro tip!

[@kanth66]

Why is the depth so important why not just let it work its way down to the bottom of the slab

[@SakreteOfficial]

Two reasons: 1: These sealants are only rated for a particular depth - going too deep is going to reduce the performance. 2: You don't want to waste a bunch of material! If you filled all the way to the bottom of the slab, that's 4" or more!

[@CTChipmunk]

i thought his name was Phil McCracken.

[@SakreteOfficial]

Lol.

[@melanies.6030]

He sounds like a televangelist for concrete😆!

[@SakreteOfficial]

Preachin' the good word!

[@richhand930]

Latex vs polyurethane?

[@SakreteOfficial]

Long story short...latex is easier to apply and clean up, but polyurethanes are going to offer better performance!

[@wayneonutube]

H O R R I B L E MUSIC

[@SakreteOfficial]

Hey, we're concrete guys, not musicians! Lol.

[@ednolan5754]

POOR VIDEO. The camera man should have shown an up close view of the product being applied. When I am being told what a product does that’s fine but in a video I should be able to see it. Sorry but you lost this sale to me.

[@SakreteOfficial]

Good note! We'll look at reshooting this in the near future.

[@hatrer2244]

Nonesense? This only works for floor cracks, not on walls

[@SakreteOfficial]

The non-sag will definitely work in vertical applications! It's pretty sticky stuff...especially the new and improved formulation we just released.

[@franktartan6808]

I am more confused then I was before watching this video.....

[@SakreteOfficial]

Let's break it down! What're you trying to fix?

[@rgwernert]

All redundancy, does any of this crap actually work?

[@SakreteOfficial]

Absolutely. That said, the first point is the most important - this is just a band-aid, not a "fix"! Cracks always indicate a deeper underlying problem.

[@brianrobbins3499]

That guy is horrible with a caulking gun

[@SakreteOfficial]

Hey, we're concrete guys, not caulk guys - cut us some slack!

[@PappyNet01]

I am not much of a DIY Guy, but I am being forced to become that guy because of life's curve balls. This is great for explaining the fundamentals, but it seems my projects are in right field! I hope this video illustrates the cracks on our swimming pool deck, so please view and offer guidance on how to repair. Thank you very much. 20230717 183232 Cleaning the Swimming Pool - Again! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXeZYWtnea6Jeposi=cENFA19bbEi939pe

[@SakreteOfficial]

Always good to have another skill on the 'ol resume! Hard to tell what issues you're having from that short video, but that's a nice stamped concrete deck! If you're just looking at some small cracks, these would be the perfect products to use in a repair.