Here’s what we did today… We did a patch in a driveway using fiber mesh bag mix concrete. The particular product we used was Crack Resistant Concrete from Sakrete. The “crack resistant” part refers to the fact that this mix includes a fiber in the mix, which creates a stronger more reinforced concrete when cured.
This repair is the fixing of a trench we cut out of the driveway in order to place a new sewer line. Why did we need a new sewer line? See: Adding a Shower Anywhere You Want!
I’m smiling because I know I don’t have to do the unloading!
The fiber is generally considered a suitable alternative to the welded wire fabric (the big rolls of steel wire sort of like chicken wire with bigger holes) and it does a great job of reducing the frequency and severity of cracks in concrete. On a small job like this it’s not worth buying a whole roll of WWF and I really prefer to use fiber in cases like this. It’s really convenient to be able to grab it in bag mix form all ready to go! That must be why I’m smiling… it’s certainly not because of the abundance of volunteers to help me load it! (Hey, I moved my 1000 pounds today)
Mixing Bag Mix Fiber Reinforced Concrete
Mixing is pretty simple. Just dump the bag in a wheelbarrow and use a shovel to mix it with water. There’s information on the bag that shows how much water you need, but you don’t really have to stress over exact measurements… you can just add water until you get a good workable consistency. Use the shovel to be sure there’s no dry concrete mix left in the wheelbarrow and mix it up good, then dump it in the hole!
A couple of points to keep in mind…
- Especially for a driveway, you want the dirt underneath to be very well compacted to prevent settlement.
- Be sure to provide for enough thickness to create a strong slab… this is about 4″ thick
- If this was an interior patch you would want to put a vapor barrier like plastic sheeting
Smooth and Trowel Finish the Concrete
Use a trowel to finish the concrete as it dries. On a large repair in hot weather (it was over 90 degrees when this was being done) you would want to finish it somewhat as you go, then come back and keep working it as it dries. If you try to mix and pour it all before putting a finish on the concrete, you could end up with a surface that’s too dry and set to work with!
And Voila!… After that cures we’ll paint the entire carport and the repair as well with an epoxy floor paint and you’ll never know!
To see some of the bathroom project that made all this necessary, click here.
If you have any concrete repair stories or questions, let me know in the comments!
Happy Remodeling!
~ Tim
My front stairs have settled making the first step way too high. Could I add a new first step with this product?
Hi Carla,
You could add a new step with this. You might be able to cap the existing step, depending on how much it has settled ( this particular product isn’t made for a very thin application so you would want to pour at least a 1.5″ thick cap with this).
Or you could remove the settled step and form and pour a new one.
I hope that helps!
Tim
Good advice for mixing your concrete. It’s not as bad as it seems right at first.
Good stuff
FIber mix are really common now. Its hard and lasts long. Good article.
it’s really helpful thanks! A disadvantage of fiber-reinforced concrete is that it can adversely affect workability, especially in the case of steel fiber reinforced concrete
cool, good stuff
pretty solid content
This is really good concrete work. Nice pictures too that really show good detail.
Yes these bags can work well for repairs but wouldn’t recommend them for a complete driveway installation. Even large sized repairs might need a full concrete mix.