What to do with this cracked concrete patio?

Question

Hi Everyone,

I'm about to start a full rehab on a small rambler. One part of the house I'm unsure of what to do with is this cracked back patio. I know concrete over concrete is a bad idea, but with the low clearance I don't have room to do a wood deck.

What would you do with this patio? Jackhammer it out and re-pour concrete?  Mortar down some flagstone or other stone? I'm open to any idea...

Christian Wathne · Answer

Just incase anyone finds this thread and wants to know what ended up happening...

We decided to build a deck above the cracked patio, and fixed the gutters (now flows about 12ft away from house); here are some pics....

Matthew Paul · Answer

Just rip it out , its done . looking at the yard it could stand for some regrading . So I would leave the patio until you are just about done with the house , that way you have a hard surface for staging work and no mud to deal with . Finish the house , then have a landscaper come in with a skid steer rip out the patio , the stump and re grade the yard . Seed and straw .    Any repairs to that patio are a waste of time and money .   Get rid of the slider , put in some french doors , build a small landing that flows into the lawn . Nothing fancy .

Bob Derwin · Answer

You've got two problems.  The condition of the concrete pad, and what caused the pad to heave or settle.  If you attempt a cosmetic repair, it will be short lived unless you fix the underlying issue.  Looking at your photo, it appears that there is a down spout in a state of disrepair.  I would ensure the back gutters are cleaned and properly attached to the back of the house.  You also need to fix the down spout and route the water coming out of it away from your concrete pad.

Sid Leibowitz · Answer

I have had to do a few of these over and had them done incorrectly and correctly.  plenty of bad investment also. Concrete walkways and surfaces crack for a reason. Once water seeps down the crack and freezes it pushes the pieces apart, or erodes the support earth under the slab. Unstable ground under and gravity  is the blame. Concrete does not expand without damage. Ground shifts with age. Without a properly prepared foundation you can't expect to stabilize  the ground below unless it is on bed rock. Putting a band aide on a fracture will not mend the fracture. I would start over or not invest any time or money in the project unless you can do it properly. Tremors from minor earthquakes that you can not even feel will permanently damage slabs. There should be thought in engineering or not spend on something that will just fail. IMHO

Sid Leibowitz · Answer

Christian. You must ave stable compacted ground for an patio. the old must be removed. The foundation under the slab is important or the finish slab will shift, sink and crack. You can do concrete with gravel and do finished concrete on top, or concrete/gravel and then blue stone finish or brick. if you try and do a shortcut without a foundation they you will be wasting money. You may want to just clean it all out and plant grass. If the new owner wants a patio, they will install what They want.

Victoria Hampton · Answer

The number one issue with outdoor patios is settling or sinking. Yes, I agree that concrete over concrete is a bad idea, but there are many ways to fix up the crack concrete patio like you can replace the entire patio, along with flowers and the borders, you can also resurface the top or you can polymer the slab lifting surface of the patio. But, make sure you should hire a professional contractor like paving companies in Long Island, Bellevue, Kent etc., who can deal with different issues for large patios or walkways which you can face during settlement issues.

JD Martin · Answer

If the concrete is stable - i.e. it's cracked but not shifting any further - you can do a topcoat on the patio only, either with a concrete slurry or use the current patio as a solid base for slate, tile, fieldstone, etc. You can also seal the cracks with a cement product that has some flex agent in it, and stain the entire patio to blend it in. Finally, you can cut expansion joints into the entire patio in a pattern that makes sense - grid, quadrants, whatever - and bust out the section(s) that are damaged and just repour those sections.

David Faulkner · Answer

Looks like there are 2 steps down from the backdoor ... what about building a "deck" over it that would be even leveled to the interior floor/backdoor. You could tie it into a nice open trellis arbor over the top that ties into the house if you want to get fancy and make it a nice outdoor living space.

Christian Wathne · Answer

Adam N. I'm just buying the place now so dont know the history of whether it's still moving or not. Those are good idea's; I'll check out some stone options

Elberth Silva · Answer

If you're still planning on having a concrete patio, rip that one out, and build a solid and even slab base (approx. 6 inches of compacted 3/4 crushed stone) to receive a new concrete slab. All those cracks on existing patio was caused by a poor slab base, and lack of any reinforcement ( wire mesh or rebar). A new concrete patio needs to have a solid-compacted and even base in order to receive a new concrete flatwork that will stand for decades. Resurfacing any concrete surface is never the best option, eventually it will tip off, etc...

In a situation like this one, the best thing to do, is to demo the existing concrete, build new base and place a new concrete patio, or use other type of material such as brick pavers to build your new patio. Do not place stones on top of it, you will have problems later. Hope it helps you.

What to do with this cracked concrete patio?

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