Any tips on how to get new cement mix to better match 30 year old concrete?
I have a sidewalk that has cracked completely across in one spot, it's
about 1/2"wide, wider in a a couple spots. It's also sunk down about 1/2".
Plan is to dig at the sides, pry it up, fill in under probably with
concrete, then patch the crack. Problem is I'm sure the new cement mix
that I will use won't match well with the old. I looked at the repair
products, eg a vinyl plus concrete mix, but those look even worse, a
light gray. So, I'm thinking of using a bag of cement mix that I already
have together with some bonding agent, but wonder if there are some
better ideas or tricks to try to get the color closer?

Thanks.

On 10/31/2017 8:07 PM, trader_4 wrote:
Any tips on how to get new cement mix to better match 30 year old concrete?
I have a sidewalk that has cracked completely across in one spot, it's
about 1/2"wide, wider in a a couple spots. It's also sunk down about 1/2".
Plan is to dig at the sides, pry it up, fill in under probably with
concrete, then patch the crack. Problem is I'm sure the new cement mix
that I will use won't match well with the old. I looked at the repair
products, eg a vinyl plus concrete mix, but those look even worse, a
light gray. So, I'm thinking of using a bag of cement mix that I already
have together with some bonding agent, but wonder if there are some
better ideas or tricks to try to get the color closer?

Thanks.

Repair the cracks then:

https://www.quikrete.com/athome/vide...rete-slabs.asp

replying to trader_4, Iggy wrote:
For tan matching, the only thing I've had some decent luck with is to mix
course "Play Sand" with the cement, 1 to 1 or half and half. If the old
stuff's also very light gray and just dirty, then power-wash it or bleach it
back to new with the rest of the sidewalk...don't do any sand. Do a little
sample before you commit, since you might have to go to a dirt mix or a dye.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/mainte...e-1149316-.htm

On Tue, 31 Oct 2017 17:07:57 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:

Any tips on how to get new cement mix to better match 30 year old concrete?
I have a sidewalk that has cracked completely across in one spot, it's
about 1/2"wide, wider in a a couple spots. It's also sunk down about 1/2".
Plan is to dig at the sides, pry it up, fill in under probably with
concrete, then patch the crack. Problem is I'm sure the new cement mix
that I will use won't match well with the old. I looked at the repair
products, eg a vinyl plus concrete mix, but those look even worse, a
light gray. So, I'm thinking of using a bag of cement mix that I already
have together with some bonding agent, but wonder if there are some
better ideas or tricks to try to get the color closer?

Thanks.


I think your problem will be that if you could get a perfect match
now, in a few years the new stuff would fade. The best you can hope
for is to try to match the aggregate and the portland percentage,
hoping it will fade out like the original.
Stronger mixes tend to be darker after they cure but they start out
much darker.

On 10/31/17 7:07 PM, trader_4 wrote:
Any tips on how to get new cement mix to better match 30 year old concrete?
I have a sidewalk that has cracked completely across in one spot, it's
about 1/2"wide, wider in a a couple spots. It's also sunk down about 1/2".
Plan is to dig at the sides, pry it up, fill in under probably with
concrete, then patch the crack. Problem is I'm sure the new cement mix
that I will use won't match well with the old. I looked at the repair
products, eg a vinyl plus concrete mix, but those look even worse, a
light gray. So, I'm thinking of using a bag of cement mix that I already
have together with some bonding agent, but wonder if there are some
better ideas or tricks to try to get the color closer?

Thanks.

Would there be anything you'd want to put over the whole thing
after you're
done with the repairs?

On Tuesday, October 31, 2017 at 11:07:49 PM UTC-4, Dean Hoffman wrote:
On 10/31/17 7:07 PM, trader_4 wrote:
Any tips on how to get new cement mix to better match 30 year old concrete?
I have a sidewalk that has cracked completely across in one spot, it's
about 1/2"wide, wider in a a couple spots. It's also sunk down about 1/2".
Plan is to dig at the sides, pry it up, fill in under probably with
concrete, then patch the crack. Problem is I'm sure the new cement mix
that I will use won't match well with the old. I looked at the repair
products, eg a vinyl plus concrete mix, but those look even worse, a
light gray. So, I'm thinking of using a bag of cement mix that I already
have together with some bonding agent, but wonder if there are some
better ideas or tricks to try to get the color closer?

Thanks.

Would there be anything you'd want to put over the whole thing
after you're
done with the repairs?

Wanderer suggested that too. I guess it's a possibility, depending on how
it looks with the repair. But it's probably 40 ft of sidewalk, and then it
leads to the front porch which is also concrete, but looks perfect. So,
then I'd wind up with the sidewalk looking different than the porch and
step, unless I did those too, there are vertical surfaces on the step
and face, etc. Plan right now is to mix up some cement, let it set and
see how it compares as a test. Then I may try to color it with something
to see if I can get it close. I know I won't get perfection, but just
something closer, that doesn't show up as much would be better.

I could also use concrete stain on the whole thing, which would be easy,
but that brings problems too, ie once you do it, it would need to be redone
every 5 years or so.

Thanks to all for the tips.