I recently purchased this house which has a raised concrete patio in the rear that has a large depression in the middle probably 4' wide by 6' long. You can see the cracks in the concrete where the water settles (picture below). I assume this is due to the material that is underneath from the original construction of the house breaking down and the concrete settling. So I am looking for options other than replacing the whole thing. Possibly filling the area with some type of self leveling top coat or something. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Concrete – Raised Concrete Patio Drainage
concretedrainagepatio
Related Solutions
Type of flooring dictates how "perfect" it needs to be, carpet being the least work. Vinyl is flexible so just no real drastic changes.
Below are the basic steps to fixing uneven concrete floors.
Use a straight edge and mark high and low spots. (Really exaggerated case in this image)
Or if you like gadgets, Bosch has a new laser out that lets you easily mark the uneven parts.
You use a grinder (with dust mask and safety goggles) for high spots. You can rent a large floor grinder or get on your hands and knees.
and SLC (self-leveling compound) in low spots. For SLC just follow the manufacturer's instructions. If the floor is really bad you may want to pour the stuff over the whole thing.
Cut slots in the concrete close together with an angle grinder and diamond blade, knock off the little ridges you have just created, and then either flatten with a cup grinder or level up with compound.
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Best Answer
A self leveling cement may reduce the standing water but if the pad has no wire mesh or rebar it may continue to settle. I would acid etch the surface and rinse then use the self leveling cement . after that I would probably epoxy coat the entire surface to try and seal it. the more water that gets into the cracks the more it will settle. I use a 10-30% Muriatic acid and water solution. Remember to always add acid to water. Muriatic acid can be purchased at most home stores and pool supply stores.