Most concrete repair fails within two years because the cause of the damage was never addressed and the repair material wasn't bonded properly to the substrate. We assess the failure mechanism first — whether it's structural cracking from subgrade movement, surface delamination from road salt, or joint deterioration — then select the appropriate repair method: partial-depth mortar, full-depth panel replacement, or crack injection. Surface preparation to ICRI CSP 3–5 before every repair. Fixed-price quote within 48 hours.
The most important thing we do before any repair is determine whether repair is the right answer. Surface spalling, small cracks, and joint deterioration are genuine repair candidates. A slab with active heave from subgrade settlement, structural cracks running full-depth, or delamination across more than 30% of the panel is not a repair candidate — it's a replacement candidate, and patching it is money wasted.
We use a chain drag test to identify delamination: dragging a chain across the surface produces a hollow sound over areas where the surface layer has debonded from the slab body. Those areas are repair candidates. Solid-sounding sections with surface scaling or shallow damage are also repair candidates. Panels that rock or sound hollow over more than roughly a third of their area — or any panel with a diagonal crack running corner to corner — get recommended for replacement instead.
The International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) defines concrete surface profiles from CSP 1 (smooth) to CSP 10 (rough). For partial-depth repairs using polymer-modified mortar, ICRI guidelines call for CSP 3–5 — achieved by shot blasting, scarifying, or grinding. This creates mechanical bonding sites for the repair material. A repair applied to an un-profiled surface will debond, regardless of the repair material quality. We don't skip surface prep.
Most residential concrete repairs are complete in 1 day. Larger commercial repair programs — multiple panels or full parking lot repair sweeps — are scoped by zone and may take 2–3 days.
Chain drag, crack mapping, and visual inspection of all areas. Identify delamination, active cracks, structural vs. shrinkage cracks, and joint failure. We give you a written repair recommendation before any work starts.
Saw-cut repair area perimeter to a minimum 1-inch depth at 90 degrees to the surface. No feathered edges — the saw-cut edge is where the repair material terminates, and it must be vertical for bond integrity.
Chip out damaged concrete to sound base. Remove all loose, delaminated, and contaminated material. Blow clean with compressed air.
Profile the repair substrate to ICRI CSP 3–5 using shot blast, scarifier, or angle grinder depending on repair size. Saturate surface dry (SSD) before material placement.
Bonding agent applied and allowed to reach tack. Polymer-modified mortar placed, compacted, and finished flush. Rapid-set mortar used where return-to-service time is critical.
Moist cure for 24–48 hours. Wet burlap or curing compound. Foot traffic at 4–6 hours (rapid-set) or 24 hours (standard). Vehicle traffic at 24 hours minimum.
Anderson & Pendleton: Road salt damage from winter maintenance is the primary driver of surface repairs in Madison County. The glacial clay subgrade here also produces more structural cracking than sandier soils — clay swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and those seasonal cycles crack slabs that weren't properly isolated from grade movement.
Carmel & Fishers: HOA communities generate repair work when visible concrete damage conflicts with community appearance standards. We see crack injection and partial-depth mortar work in driveways and shared sidewalk panels. HOA-driven repairs sometimes require color-matched mortar — we discuss realistic expectations on color matching before the work starts.
Noblesville & Westfield: Commercial parking lot repair sweeps — patching multiple failing panels before a full replacement becomes necessary — are common scope in these markets. We can assess an entire parking lot and provide a prioritized repair vs. replace recommendation for each panel.
Our surface preparation profiles, repair material selection criteria, and edge geometry requirements follow ICRI Technical Guideline No. 310.2R "Selecting and Specifying Concrete Surface Preparation for Sealers, Coatings, Polymer Overlays, and Concrete Repair" and ACI 546R "Guide to Concrete Repair." The CSP 3–5 surface profile requirement cited on this page comes directly from ICRI 310.2R guidelines for partial-depth repair applications.
REF · ICRI ICRI Technical Guideline No. 310.2R — Concrete Surface Preparation ↗The fastest way to a quote is a phone call. Prefer to send details instead? Fill in the form and we'll respond the same business day — usually within a couple of hours.
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Tell us what you're seeing — cracks, spalling, rocking panels — and the location. We'll assess on-site and give you a straight answer on the best approach.