Do you have pitted floors in your garage? The most common place to see damaged concrete is on the edge of the slab, right under the garage door. If you’ve ever seen water or pests creeping in under the door, you probably have the same problem as we did! It goes without saying that a brand new concrete slab would be the ultimate solution, but let’s be real- that’s not really in the budget right now (Grocery prices, right??) I had a bag of Quikrete 1240 leftover from a DIY project last year and thought I’d give it a go. What’s the worst that could happen?
Turns out it WORKED. And not only did it work- it’s still going strong 7 months later! It has helped immensely with keeping a good seal with the garage door weatherstrip and keeping water and bugs out! So I’m here to break down my process.
Working in small batches was KEY to getting a solid result. I used two buckets of Quikrete 1240 totalling less than $40.
Supplies and Tools
- Respirator with particulate filter (I like these multi-purpose cartridges)
- Safety goggles
- Shop vac
- Brush/broom
- Nitrile disposable gloves
- Quikrete 1240 Quick Setting Cement
- Pitcher of clean water
- Stir stick
- Concrete trowel
Steps
- Clean pitted area thoroughly with a brush and shop vac and make sure all dust and debris is gone.
- Get all of your safety gear on! Respirator (cement/concrete dust is extremely hazardous), safety goggles, and disposable gloves. The chemical binding agents start working as soon as the cement gets wet, and trust me, you don’t want that on your skin or eyes.
- Mix a small amount of cement. I used 5 parts cement, 1.5 parts water in very small portions. This stuff sets FAST, so don’t make more than you can spread out in about 3 minutes.
- Wet a small area of the pitted floor to prep for the cement application.
- Spread cement with a trowel over wetted areas. The consistency should be pretty thick, like peanut butter.
- Follow curing directions on the packaging and avoid foot/vehicle traffic until fully cured!
Keep reading for some questions/answers and, of course, feel free to drop a question in the comments below!
FAQs:
“Did it work?” Yes! It did! With the right ratio, I was able to get a hard surface that adheres to the floor.
“Will it work for my floor?” The minimum depth for best results is 1/2 inch. You can chip out shallow pitted areas to 1/2 inch before applying the cement patch. For areas that are deeper than 1 inch, the instructions recommend using a bonding adhesive (also sold by Quikrete in the same area at your local store). For those deeper areas, I would recommend building up layers and letting them set in between.
“Will it last?” So far, so good and it’s been a full 7 months! I’m hoping to get a year or two out of it before we are able to resurface the entire garage floor!