Dear Mr. Lamoureux,
Two years ago I had a new driveway, walkway & courtyard put in, it was all colored concrete.
Unfortunately my concrete contractor wasn’t very good. The color turned out badly, there were cracks and one portion of the walkway was poured too thin. Of course he took no responsibility and blamed it on the concrete and pointed out to me how once it is poured the concrete maker takes no responsibility either. All that said, my question for you is, when he poured the courtyard there was a step up to my front porch, the step was supposed to stay because we were going to tile the front porch and the step when all was done, when I came home he had poured it evenly to the step, So there is no longer a step. He also cracked a small corner of the porch when prepping for the courtyard. I have been staring at a gray concrete porch for a while now, but I don’t know what to do with it I’m ready to make it look nice, should I use concrete paint? What about the cracks? I know I cannot match the concrete to the courtyard and I have gotten paint samples and they all looked terrible. I don’t want to do it myself, I’m not very handy ( my husband says he’s ready to tackle it ) what kind of tradesman do I call to make this look nice ? I would appreciate any suggestions. The porch is small, approximately 70 Sq.ft. Attached are 3 photos.
Thank you,
Dee L.
Dee,
I’m sorry you had trouble with the email. I would go into Sherwin Williams and see the representatives at the counter and show them the pictures of the area in question. Ask them for a concrete dye, not a paint. The paint sits on the surface and will eventually fail at a higher rate than a dye, as the concrete is sitting on grade and wear/weather will affect it. The dye will get into the pours of the concrete, and last a lot longer, and the dye color can be custom mixed to your liking. You mentioned that your husband was ready to tackle this, I would follow the lead from Sherwin Williams and things will go smoothly.
Best of luck to you,
Robert
Hi Robert,
I live in a senior community here in the SCV. My unit is one of five in my building and I am located in the bottom middle. There are jacks directly under my unit, the problem is that one of the jacks causes a raised spot in my kitchen floor that I am told is not repairable. This area is not visible when there is carpet over it, however it is visible when there is sheet vinyl installed. I currently have carpet but would like to install a wood product of some kind. Would this be possible to do without that small lump showing? If not, do you have another suggestion for flooring?
Thank you,
Cindy
Cynthia,
The pictures speak a thousand words, as they say. I think the best thing to do is to have BJ Development come by your home and let them assess the situation. I understand what you’re saying, but without being there I’m not getting the full picture. Give them a call and see what they recommend.
Anything can be repaired, it’s at what cost is it going to be. BJ Development – (661) 296-9360. These are knowledgeable people who can help you.
Best of luck,
Robert
Follow up to Oct 27th article, question #1:
Robert,
I thought you might be interested to know that I finally was able to remove that “Rust Ball” out from the main water line by the meter. After breaking the rust ball apart, it became apparent that it consisted of a Tee with one end being capped. The capped line from the Tee was likely for the irrigation line but was never connected. The irrigation line was instead connected to the main water line before the PRV. I’m glad to have this taken care of as the inside of the Tee has badly rusted
Best regards and Happy Thanksgiving,
Rhod R.
Ps. Thanks for the coffee mug.
Rhod,
Wow! I’ve never seen anything like this. Nice to hear it all worked out. Thank you for sharing this information. I’ve thought about this a couple of times wondering what you might have discovered.
Great holidays to you also,
Robert
Robert Lamoureux has 38 years of experience as a general contractor, with separate licenses in electrical and plumbing contracting. He owns IMS Construction Inc. in Valencia. His opinions are his own, not necessarily those of The Signal. Opinions expressed in this column are not meant to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after that contractor has made a thorough visual inspection. Email questions to Robert at
