fix concrete steps

A step-by-step tutorial on how to fix chipped concrete steps at your home.

When you have a home, it's inevitable that over time, things will break or crumble right below your feet. And some deterioration can cause nightmarish results if you don't catch them in time (like our old pipes ).

Luckily, others are clearly visible and easy to fix.

Our back and front porches looked very ragged at the corners and sides, not doing much for our curb appeal.

Here is our front porch:

front porch steps that are chipped and need repair

And here is our back porch – this one is even worse:

back porch steps that are chipped and need repair

It's tempting to rip all of it out and install new cement but that can be very costly. After doing some research, I decided to patch our steps myself.

supplies to repair concrete steps

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FIX CHIPPED CONCRETE STEPS

MATERIALS:

  • Cement (found mine at Lowe's)
  • Water
  • Cheap Paint Brush
  • Spray bottle w/water inside

TOOLS:

  • Margin Trowel
  • Wire brush
  • Putty knife
  • Bucket (to mix cement)

You can print the material list and instructions below.

REMOVE THE CHIPPED CONCRETE

First, you need to clean the area and remove all the chipped concrete. Using a putty knife and wire brush, I vigorously removed all the chipping/flaking concrete.

Then, I used the hand broom to sweep the steps.

supplies to remove chipped concrete to repair concrete steps

CLEAN THE WORK AREA

After all the chipped concrete was removed, I washed the area with dish soap and water.

Next, I used the garden hose with a sprayer attached and washed the area with clean water. Then, I let the area dry completely.

cleaning chipped concrete step before repair

MIX THE CEMENT

Now we are ready to mix the new cement. I used a ratio of about 1 part water to 5 parts dry cement mix. Only prepare a small amount at a time because it has to be applied within 5 minutes.

concrete for patching concrete steps

TIP: There is also a bonding agent that you can use instead of water. I probably should have used this because of the large amount of cement I needed but we will see how it holds without it.

UPDATE: You can also apply the bonding agent to the old concrete before applying the new. If you would like to make sure the new concrete will have a better bond, you can drill holes into the old concrete then attach an anchor. I posted about this project on Hometalk and people have commented that you can just drill the holes or you could add rebar to the holes. Hope this helps!

APPLY THE CONCRETE

Once the cement is mixed, take the spray bottle and spray the area lightly with water; you only want it damp (no pools of water).

Then, I took the trowel and applied the concrete, making sure to get it into all the cracks.

applying patching concrete to chipped steps with trowel

SHAPE THE CONCRETE AREA

I carefully built the area back to the shape it needed to be, sometimes using a board. I then let the area sit for a couple of minutes to harden slightly.

applying concrete to chipped step using wood board to shape the concrete

At this point, I finished shaping the area,rounding the corners, and making everything level.

repairing corner of concrete step

THE FINISHING TOUCHES

Next, I lightly sprayed the area with water then taking the paintbrush, I painted the cement to give it a brushed finish.

fixing concrete corner of step lightly brushing with paint brush
give concrete patch a finished look

I worked on the next section of the cement, completing all the steps until I was done with the porch. Then, I let the whole area dry. It will fully cure after a couple of weeks but after 24 hours you can walk on it.

repair broken concrete steps

There is a noticeable difference in the color of our old & new concrete, so I could paint or apply a thin coat of concrete over the area to make it look the same. Right now, I'm just happy to see all that chipped concrete gone!

Here is the biggest change: the back porch.

repair broken concrete steps with concrete patch

Can't remember the before, here is a side by side of the porch.

before and after of fixed chipped concrete stpes

And here is our front porch currently:

updated homes curb appeal

SIDE NOTE: We updated our front porch even more by adding a porch to our existing house plus wrapping the columns.

This was a cost-effective way to fix chipped concrete (it was less than $20!) and only took a couple of hours.

UPDATE 6/2016 – See how our steps are holding up one year later and if we would do it again !

Prep Time 20 minutes

Active Time 1 hour

Additional Time 1 day

Total Time 1 day 1 hour 20 minutes

Difficulty Moderate

Estimated Cost $

Materials

  • cement (found mine at Lowe's)
  • Water
  • Cheap Paint Brush
  • Spray bottle w/water inside

Tools

  • Margin Trowel
  • Wire brush
  • Putty knife
  • Bucket (to mix cement)

Instructions

  1. Remove the chipped concrete with a wire brush and putty knife.
  2. Clean the steps.
  3. Mix the cement.
  4. Apply the concrete to the areas that need repair.
  5. Shape the concrete with wood.
  6. Lightly paintbrush the new concrete to give it a brushed finish.
  7. Allow the concrete to dry.