Concrete Patio Crack

[patrick66]

Hello everyone,

My old concrete patio has some cracks that previously were purely cosmetic. They have now developed into 1cm wide gaps with one area that has risen above the level of the concrete.
Could somebody tell me whether this could be repaired easily. I am especially worried about the area that has risen above the other block of concrete and whether I could get it flush again with the rest of the concrete. As I have 2 small children I's like to get this sorted quickly to prevent any accidents.

Thanks

 

[Richard C]

They obviously weren’t cosmetic cracks then. It's broke it's back & there is nothing you can do other that fill in the gaps & level it off; it’ll look awful & probably won’t last long anyway; only real cure is to dig it up & start again.

 

[marshman]

If you use a disk cutter and cut a slot across the high side about 50mm deep and 300mm away from the crack
then break this section out, compact the hardcore / soil that you have made loose getting the old concrete out,
shutter the ends, wet down the edges of the remaining concrete by tipping a bucket of water along the joint edges so
the hardcore / soil that will be under your new concrete is damp, fill in with a 6 & 1 concrete mix,
this way you can feather out the stepped concrete, this patch may last you a year or 50 years it really depends on why it
broke in the first place, the new patch you don't want to dry out to quick ( which doesn't mean you mix your new concrete
like a load of pi55) It means you need to keep it damp by covering it with a wet / damp cloth for a couple of days,
cover it when you can't leave finger prints in it.
or as Richard C has said time to replace it.

 

[Richard C]

this way you can feather out the stepped concrete, this patch may last you a year or 50 years it really depends on why it broke in the first place

It won’t stop the rest of the found falling away on either side of the repair though unless whatever has caused the movement in the first place has stopped; but then there is no guarantee it won’t start up again. Once the original found has broken its back it’s stuffed. I used to live in an area where reinforced concrete rafts rather than footings were used to build on, if the slab cracked it was only ever a demolish & rebuild job that would put it right.

 

[patrick66]

The cracks originated from a bodged attempt in installing a rotating clothes line within the patio by the previous owners of the house. They have slowly got worst over 10 years.
Because I live in a terraced edwardian house to start again would mean breaking up the original concrete and taking it through the house onto an on road skip. I really want to try and repair rather than start again.
Thanks for your advice Richard C and Marshman. Much appreciated.