Wednesday, December 3, 2003

Address minor cracks early to avoid costly home repairs

Maintaining the value and physical appearance of a home is a challenge faced by homeowners around the country on a daily basis. With the average median sales price of nearly $160,000 for existing single-family homes in 2002, according to the National Association of Home Builders, no homeowner wants to witness the depreciation of their home to standard wear and tear. Homeowners can now successfully tackle fractures and cracks to a variety of surfaces with several new user-friendly repair tubes eliminating potentially larger maintenance demands in the future.

The hand-squeezed repair tubes allow homeowners to quickly and inexpensively seal cracks in driveways, sidewalks, steps, patios, stucco and brickwork. Utilizing established capabilities and characteristics of existing QUIKRETE products, the repair tubes combine quality repair results with ease-of-use. So, rather than requiring a professional mason or commercial contractor for concrete driveway repair or fireplace brickwork, the repair tubes empower homeowners with limited do-it-yourself expertise to address a problem before it becomes a more significant and permanent issue.

Small cracks and fractures in concrete driveways, patios and steps are inevitable with standard use. The same is true for mortar used in brickwork and blacktop surfaces around the home. Addressing these repairs early is critical to avoiding more costly and significant damage. In addition to providing sound horizontal and vertical repairs in surface cracks and fractures, homeowners maximize the aesthetics and appearance of their homes by correcting problems before they have a more serious impact.

Changes in the weather often cause surface cracks, and this is especially true during significant changes in temperatures. When small fractures are left unattended over time, the expansion and contraction in a surface created by temperature changes will enlarge the cracks. The resulting damage is not only unsightly; it minimizes the use and enjoyment of a particular home feature, such as a fireplace or patio.

The product family of QUIKRETE 5.5-ounce repair tubes require minimal surface preparation, and application consists of shaking the tube well, cutting the tip at an angle and hand-squeezing a bead no thicker than 3/8 inch deep into the crack. On horizontal surfaces, deep cracks can be partially filled with fine sand prior to application. After final application, the area can be tooled to even out surfaces, and excess can be wiped off with a damp cloth. One repair tube has an application capacity of 14 feet at 1/4 inch depth.

There were more than 1.7 million new homes under construction in the United States in 2002 according, to NAHB. As the number of homeowners continues to grow, the demand for easy, fast and affordable do-it-yourself home improvement resources also increases. Homeowners have the answer to many of their home improvement needs with the new repair tubes.

To learn more about do-it-yourself concrete repair products and projects, visit www.quikrete.com or call (800) 282-5828.

Back to Home & Garden Home Page | Back to the top of the page