The patio is four square concrete slabs. They had been caulked together with a variety of substances. Looks like round 1 was tar. Round 2 was that black stuff they use to repair driveways. Round 3 was a poly-urethane-type deal. All together, it looked pretty bad.
I went to Ace Hardware and bought "De-Solv-It Contractors' Solvent" to take up the tar. Its one of those orange-smelling cleaners that is "100% Guaranteed" to work on a variety of substances, including but not limited to tar. It actually works really well. Unfortunately, I have a metric ton of tar in stupid places on the patio. I got a lot of it off, but there is still some on there. My solution is to get enough tar off so its level, then cover it with a skim layer of the Quikrete stuff I bought. More on that in Part 2 -- coming soon!
In another episode of "righting other people's wrongs", I am using PL Polyurethane Concrete Crack & Masonry Sealant to fix the side stairs. Basically, the concrete stairs were pre-poured somewhere else, then plopped down next to the house when it was built. Unfortunately, they have separated, and I'd rather not have water sitting right next to my foundation. It is supposed to dry and look like concrete. I'll post part 2 of this as well.
just found your blog via thefacebook.com. i think it is my new fav bloggy blog. i wish i lived in your neck of the woods because i love fixing crap and would be over all the time. miss ya friend. see ya at andy's wedding.
ReplyDeleteMove to Saint Louis. I have lots of projects for us! Miss you too bud.
ReplyDeleteWe just did a weekend project too! I'll post pictures on my blog soon. Andrew was very proud of himself.
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