Damaged concrete can be made whole again with pourable repair products.

There are several products on the market today that can repair pitted or cracked concrete. These products are not meant to resurface large areas, but are great for filling holes, cracks and other imperfections on flat surfaces.

Applications of these different patching products are somewhat similar. Each product can be used inside or outside and all are versatile enough to be applied to sidewalks, floors, steps and other level concrete surfaces.

Step 1: Choose your product carefully. Quikrete vinyl patching compound is the easiest and most economical product to work with. Its plastic-looking gray color and texture will not match the existing concrete, but where appearances are not important, this is a good choice. Rockite anchoring cement will match existing concrete to some extent, but its 15-20 minute working time makes the application a little more difficult in some situations. Abocrete epoxy patching compound is a high-quality, high-dollar patching and resurfacing product. When mixed with sand, Abocrete will closely resemble existing concrete surfaces. Moreover, it will bond to concrete, wood and other surfaces with a tensile strength 30 times that of regular concrete.

Step 2: Use a wire brush to prepare the area for patching. Remove all loose debris and dust. Use appropriate solvents to dissolve any oil, grease or paint. Smaller cracks should be widened slightly to assure the product is able to seep in. Prepare larger holes by chiseling out the bottom portion of the hole to make it larger than the top.

Step 3: Once the area is clean and free of debris, mix your repair product according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Always use the least amount of water possible when mixing concrete products. For this application, allow enough liquid to make the compound readily pourable.

Step 4: Pour the prepared mixture onto the surface to be repaired. Use a flat trowel to spread the compound across the surface, feathering it onto the surrounding area if necessary.

Step 5: When finished, clean concrete tools immediately with water to avoid permanent damage to them.

Let the product cure for at least 24 hours. Refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for extended details on curing times and recommendations.