Jeff from Home Repair Tutor provides various useful tips for accomplishing cement step repair and settle decaying cement step. By applying these tips you will be able to repair the cement step within 24 hours and make it appearance as brand new.

Various tools and supplies are required to execute the job. The lists are given below :-

• Hammer
• Cold Chisel
• Safety Goggles
• Gloves
• Margin Trowel
• Steel Trowel
• Edging Tool
• Plastic Tub (for mixing cement)
• Shovel or Hoe
• Garden Sprayer
• Respirator
• Quikrete Bonding Adhesive
• Quikrete Quick Setting Cement
• Hammer Drill
• Tapcon Screws
• Flat Head Bit for Drill
• 2 Foot Level
• Grout Sponge
• Pam Cooking Spray (haha, this is perhaps the best cement tool)
• Quikrete Sealer
• Cinder Blocks
• Wood (2×8 for creating a form, I’ll explain)
• Tapcon Drill Bit
• Bucket

Initially chip off any loose or decaying cement. A hammer and cold chisel will be the perfect tools for this purpose.

It is also suggested to cut out the edges of the step. Undercutting will just add a v-shaped groove. It will facilitate the new cement to remain in position throughout freeze/thaw cycles.

Drill holes into the decaying step with the use of a hammer drill and Tapcon drill bit.

Apply tapcon screws to be screwed into the holes. These will function as anchors for the new cement. This anchoring system should be applied on stiff areas of the step.

Either the hammer drill or impact driver can be utilized to get the Tapcon screws tight properly. Here the Tapcons are 1 3/4 inches long and their heads remain 1/4 or 1/2 inch under the new cement.

While tightening the screws, the screw heads should be sticking out over the new surface.

Rub out the whole step. Loose cement or dust will damage the bond among the new cement and old step.It is recommended to apply Quikrete Bonding Adhesive toward repairs that need over 1/2 inch of cement. This product works fine to get new cement to tie with the prevailing step.

Set the adhesive to be dried for 2-3 hours prior to use the new cement.

You may prefer to purchase 20 pound pails of Quikrete Quick Setting Cement as it sets up within 15-20 minutes.

Calculate the height of your step. Slash a piece of wood having at least the same height. The wood should also maintain the same length of the step as it will perform as a form.

Spray the form Use Pam cooking spray for spraying the form as it will safeguard your new cement from being fixed to the wood form.

To get the complete step, go through the following link or watch the following video.

Video Courtesy : Home Repair Tutor