LESLIE: Tuning in on KZNT we’ve got Jackie from Colorado. What can we do for you today?
JACKIE: Hi. I was listening to your program a couple of weeks ago and you mentioned a product that repairs the first – the top layer of the driveway; the cement driveway.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TOM: Yes, mm-hmm.
JACKIE: And I’d like to know what that is. I …
TOM: And what’s wrong with your driveway?
JACKIE: It’s crumbling on the top.
TOM: OK. That kind of deterioration can be repaired with one of the epoxy patches that are available at different home centers; epoxy patching compounds. I think the one that you heard us talk about was made by the Abatron company. A-b-a-t-r-o-n is their website; Abatron.com. They have a lot of concrete resurfacing materials there. But generally we’re talking about an epoxy patching compound. Not a pure concrete product because the problem is that when you try to put that on as a second layer it doesn’t stick and the first frost the water’s going to get under that; it freezes and chips off. But if you use an epoxy patch it will last a long, long time.
JACKIE: Wow. That’s wonderful. And what – can you put anything on top of that to, you know, kind of finish it off?
TOM: Yeah, certainly. You know, it depends on how badly deteriorated the concrete is. I mean it’s possible to retrowel this across the entire surface of the old driveway. Or if you just want to patch that one area and then you could acid stain it or you could …
LESLIE: Well, I would think since you’re using a patching compound on top, something like an acid stain or a concrete stain where you would see through it, you’d – it would sort of just be a translucent color …
JACKIE: Yes.
LESLIE: … you’re going to notice, perhaps, difference in colors from where the patching compound is to the rest of the natural drive.
JACKIE: Mm-hmm. So you have to stain the whole drive.
LESLIE: Well you would want to because you’re going to finish the whole area.
JACKIE: Yes.
LESLIE: You wouldn’t want to just do the new area to match the old unless you’re trying to sort of conceal it better.
JACKIE: Right.
LESLIE: But probably …
JACKIE: Well, it isn’t really an old drive. It’s only like about seven years old.
TOM: And is the deteriorated area fairly concentrated?
JACKIE: It’s fairly concentrated, yes.
LESLIE: I mean it’s not going to be something where you’re going to walk by and hate that patched area all the time. It’s going to be in similar color. It’s going to look uniformly gray or concrete.
JACKIE: Mm-hmm.
LESLIE: If you wanted to do something more you could use concrete paint; you could use concrete paint to make it look like, you know, slate tile by doing some fun taping tricks. You know.
JACKIE: Mm-hmm.
LESLIE: There’s a lot of different options. But you don’t have to do anything.
JACKIE: Well, we need to first do the epoxy patch …
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
JACKIE: … and then maybe stain the whole thing.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm. Or do a concrete paint or do a concrete acid stain if you’re comfortable knowing that you might get a little bit of different tone where you’ve got the patching compound. But there are options.
JACKIE: OK. So I first do an epoxy patch compound. And where do I get that?
TOM: The website is Abatron.com. A-b-a-t-r-o-n.com. Jackie, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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