How to Repair Holes in Concrete and Protect Your Home

If you have concrete in your home, you may have noticed holes forming due to strong weather or rodents. Most of these holes can be easily fixed with a quality mortar mix, although you should use one with a crushed stone aggregate to fill holes more than 1 inch (2.5 cm) deep. It is important to treat the holes as soon as you find them to prevent water and rodents from further damaging the concrete and entering your home. Before attempting to fill a hole, it is important to clean up any loose concrete and other debris.

Then mix the mortar, fill the hole and level it so that it blends in with the surrounding structure. Concrete takes time to cure, so it is important to keep the patch moist for several days for a stronger hold. Patching concrete holes is a simple weekend project that can help protect your home for decades. Holes 1 inch or deeper require a mixture of concrete with coarse aggregate of crushed stone, which adheres well to existing concrete.

Shallower holes need a mixture of sand. Whichever type you use (both are available at home care centers), follow these steps:

• Wet the hole first
• Pack the cement and level it
• Smooth the surface with a spatula or trowel
• Keep the area moist until the patch heals

Hydraulic cement would be a reasonable option for repairing small holes in concrete, since that is what it is made for. You can also use a concrete patch kit such as the Sika Fast-Fix Power Patch, which comes with a mixture of two pre-measured compounds that eliminates much of the guesswork when it comes to mixing cement, sand, gravel and water. It is important to clean the concrete hole by removing any loose residue so that the concrete can adhere properly to the existing surface. Simply pouring wet concrete into a hole in the doorway, sidewalk or basement floor will not allow for a lasting repair.