LESLIE: Alright, Alan in Texas needs some help with a cement porch repair project. Tell us what happened.
ALAN: It’s a concrete slab that’s, oh, about 12×35. It’s rather old and it’s chipping and flaking around the edges.
TOM: OK.
ALAN: And what I’d like to know is what would be a good way, if I start patching this stuff, to keep the line going straight and level up and down.
TOM: Yeah, there’s a company called Abatron that makes epoxy patching compounds that would work for this. The particular product that you want is called Abocrete. Their website is Abatron.com – A-b-a-t-r-o-n. In terms of trying to keep it nice and straight and even-steven, what I would do is I would try to basically mount a form against the outside edge of the patio the same way you would have had one there when you originally poured the concrete patio and I would use the patch against that form. I would use a standard cement trowel and I would use the form as a guide to try to basically get a straight edge right against that form and then after it all dries, of course you pop the form off and you’re done.
LESLIE: Do you need to put anything on that edge of the form that’s going to be in contact with the product to make sure that there’s no adhesion; anything like an anti-stick …?
TOM: You know, with concrete, generally not; with a patching compound, I’m not sure. I would post that question to Abatron. I’d say most likely not because I don’t think it’s designed to stick to wood; it’s designed to stick to concrete.
LESLIE: Good.
ALAN: OK. When you put this form in, would it be right up tight against the …?
TOM: Yep, you want a nice, clean edge, right Alan? You want a nice, clean edge? That’s what you’re trying to achieve; straight lines, clean edge?
ALAN: Uh-huh.
TOM: Yeah, so put it right up against the old patio and pour to, basically, the edge of the form.
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