DIY repair of a concrete blind area around the house

In detail: do-it-yourself repair of a concrete blind area around the house from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

The destruction of the blind area around the building, the appearance of cracks and the germination of vegetation in them under the influence of time is a common occurrence. Especially if the coating was laid in violation of construction technology. If the problem is obvious, then repairing the blind area near the house with your own hands or with the involvement of competent workers must be carried out promptly, since the blind area has an important role to play - protecting the foundation from the penetration of precipitation and the formation of damage during severe frosts.

A blind area is a covering around a building with an average width of 80 to 150 cm, which protects the foundation from moisture and freezing... It is equipped with a certain slope to ensure the drainage of rainwater from the house. According to construction standards, the slope should be 5-10 cm for each meter of the blind area, while the edge adjacent to the wall of the house should rise, and the opposite should be level with the ground.

The lathing for pouring concrete during the repair of the blind area begins to be made from the lowest place, that is, from the point where the water is drained.

Then they move to the opposite side of the house, constantly monitoring the level of the slope.

The materials used to equip the protective structure with your own hands are:

concrete;
cement;
artificial and natural stone;
paving stones;
asphalt;
tile.

To repair the coating around the house with your own hands you will need:

shovel;
bucket;
wheelbarrow;
puncher;
materials for heat and moisture insulation;
building level;
sand;
crushed stone;
fittings.

Step 1. Preparation for pouring the solution.

Before carrying out the main work, the surface of the old coating should be cleaned from dust and dirt. Expand cracks and remove completely destroyed areas. Prime the edges of cracks to improve adhesion. To close the gaps that have formed, to save cement mortar, you can use pieces of the old destroyed blind area. To do this, they are laid out there before pouring.

Video (click to play).

The stage of preparing the blind area for pouring the solution

Step 2. Preparation of the solution.

For this, the following ingredients are used: sand - 2.6 parts, cement M500 or M400 - 1 part, crushed stone - 4.5 parts, water - 125 liters per 1 cubic meter. ready-made solution, as well as other additives. The shelf life of the finished mixture is about 2 hours.

Preparation of a solution for repairing the blind area

It is better to start pouring concrete from the highest point, periodically monitoring compliance with the planned slope. Repair of large areas of damaged blind area should be carried out using a reinforcing mesh.

The third step is pouring concrete.

After pouring, the concrete is compacted and leveled.

After completion of the work, the surface is covered with a damp cloth and left to dry gradually, occasionally sprinkling with water, so that the concrete does not dry out too quickly and does not crack.

After complete drying of the concrete, the formwork is removed.

Lack of a waterproofing layer. This is an important structural element that separates all other layers from the ground and prevents the penetration of moisture from the outside.
Poorly compacted, uneven backfill. Insufficient thickness of the top layer.
Construction work under unfavorable climatic conditions. According to the technology, it is impossible to carry out such work on the eve of frost, in the heat, before the onset of rains. All these factors will have an extremely negative effect on the quality of the coating, disrupt the process of solidification and germination of cement crystals.
Lack of expansion joints. Multiple changes in temperature throughout the year lead to expansion, contraction, frost heaving of the soil, which increases the likelihood of destruction of the concrete structure. To prevent this from happening, expansion joints should be placed in it, which can partially compensate for these phenomena. Usually they are placed every 1.5-2 meters in order to distribute the emerging vibrations, but less is possible.

The strength and durability of the foundation, as well as the absence of unplanned waste of time and money for repairs, depends on the quality of the concrete structure, made in compliance with the technology. It is easier to do everything once with your own hands in accordance with the established norms than to deal with the consequences of incorrect laying of the coating all the time.

A reliable, time-tested way to protect the foundation from the effects of surface water is the construction of a concrete blind area around the house. The undoubted advantage of the concrete blind area is its low cost and ease of manufacture.

No material can guarantee 100% moisture protection, which is provided by a concrete blind area with an integral coating (without arranging a multi-tiered "pie"). The condition of the foundation is directly reflected in the position of the entire structure. Therefore, the foundation needs capital protection.

This is precisely the main task of the blind area - to protect the foundation and basement of the house. In addition to the barrier, it has several other functions. For example, it allows you to organize more convenient movement along the blind area and gives the structure a finished appearance.

DIY concrete blind area around the house

Video (click to play).

Let's consider step by step how to correctly make a blind area around the house of concrete with your own hands. We propose to break down all the stages of the arrangement into theoretical and applied.

In the first part, we will analyze what you need to know and prepare before starting work.

In the second, how to prepare the bed and correctly fill the concrete blind area.

concrete blind area width, according to SNiPu 2.02.01-83 should be 200 mm. more than the overhang of the roofing material. If there is a drain, its parameters are also taken into account. The same SNiP regulates the width depending on the type of soil. The traditional (optimal) width of the blind area can be considered 1 meter. This width provides freedom of movement and plays the role of a path around the house;

length... Since the foundation needs protection around the entire perimeter of the house, it is logical that the blind area should also completely encircle the structure. The only exception can be the installation site of the concrete porch;

depth or level of the blind area should not exceed half of the estimated depth of soil freezing characteristic of a particular region. This parameter can be viewed in the table or request information in the architecture department at the location of the object.
The ability of the concrete blind area to move with the soil gives it its functions. Otherwise, its role will be reduced to water drainage, which is not enough to protect the foundation.

Note. The depth of freezing is affected by the presence of communications in the soil.

Armed with the above data, you can proceed directly to the construction of the concrete blind area of the foundation.
- concrete for the blind area. The brand is an indicator of the quality of concrete, its value ranges from 100 to 1000. It indicates the proportion of the cement content in the concrete. The class of concrete ranges from B3.5 to B8 and denotes the strength of the concrete. So, class B 15, indicates that a cube of concrete pouring with a size of 15x15x15 cm is able to withstand a pressure of 15 MPa.
What brand of concrete is needed for the blind area? To prepare the solution, cement grade M 200 (class B15) is used.

The parameters (properties) of concrete, depending on the brand, are shown in the table.
- sand. Which one do you need? For the device of the lower layer of the pillow, river or quarry sand is suitable.The main thing is that it does not contain large impurities that can damage geotextiles;
- crushed stone (gravel). For the blind area, crushed stone of fraction 10-20 is suitable;
- clay or geotexile for the installation of a hydraulic lock. In practice, this layer is absent in the base cushion, because concrete removes water well;
- iron cement.
If it is not possible to use ready-made concrete, you can knead it yourself. To do this, you need to prepare:
- cement for the blind area. You should know that the grade of concrete is determined by the grade of cement and its specific gravity as a percentage of the components of the solution. For the blind area, M400 Portland cement is used. The cement must be fresh; with every month of storage, it loses 5% of its properties. It is simple to check the freshness, it is enough to squeeze a little cement in your fist, if it shrinks into a lump - its shelf life is running out, if it crumbles freely, you can work with it;
- sand. To prepare concrete, you need to take sifted and washed from impurities and soil;
- crushed stone. It is advisable to use crushed stone with a fraction of 5-10 mm. Moreover, crushed stone is better than, for example, small pebbles;
- water. Should be at room temperature;
- additives. Needed in order to give concrete frost-resistant properties. Liquid glass is often used as an additive.
From the tools you will need a concrete mixer or a container for mixing, a shovel, a bucket (it is better to take a plastic one, it is easier to wash it), a measuring container (for water), a manual ramming log or a vibration plate.

In practice, the solution for the blind area is prepared in portions, after all the preparatory work has been completed. We will give a ready-made recipe for cement mortar and how to mix it correctly.

The composition of the concrete solution includes: cement, crushed stone, sand, water and various additives that increase its strength. The durability and strength of the blind area depends on the ratio (proportions) of these components.

Note. Components are measured by weight only.

A high-quality blind area is necessary for any structure, be it a multi-storey building or a country house. The blind area ensures the drainage of water flowing from the roof from the foundation, and also protects the foundation from rain and melt water penetration under it. Without such a structure, the walls of a building can very quickly become covered with cracks, since its eroded foundation will begin to sag under the influence of increased moisture and heaving of the soil. Whatever the blind area, it must be manufactured correctly, in compliance with the technological parameters. If you do it quickly and at random, then very soon you will have to repair the blind area around the house with your own hands.
Especially often it is necessary to repair concrete and asphalt concrete structures. The fact is that a monolithic coating, under the influence of external factors, can undergo movements, subsidence, and swelling. As a result, cracks of various sizes appear on the surface of the blind area. Not only is the structure influenced by frost, precipitation, heaving soil, but also the typical mistakes during its construction do not contribute to the strengthening of the structure.

A well-constructed blind area, regardless of the type of structure, can serve for decades without requiring repair. If it quickly fell into disrepair, then there are violations in the technology of its construction.

Consider the main mistakes that inexperienced builders make when arranging a blind area:

Important: Reinforcement of concrete is also recommended if it is arranged near a private house or summer cottage.

This is the most common problem faced by owners of houses and other buildings, since this is the structure that is used in most cases. Usually, damage to a concrete tape is associated with improper laying technology, but there are also cases of its natural destruction. Cracks of various sizes can appear on the concrete. If they are not repaired in time, the next winter can finally destroy the blind area.Depending on the size of the cracks formed, they are repaired in different ways.

Self-repair of the blind area around the house
Consider how, in practice, do-it-yourself repair of a concrete blind area around the house is carried out:
- Small cracks must be cleaned and filled with a grout consisting of equal parts of water and cement. Such a composition will penetrate the entire depth of the crack and firmly seal all voids;
- Medium cracks are repaired differently. They expand for more convenient work, after which they are cleaned and primed with a bituminous primer. When the soil dries up, all the grooves are filled with bitumen mastic. After the mastic has hardened, it will be useful to fill the blind area with a thin layer of cement-based solution;
- Large cracks are repaired using concrete mortar. Before that, they are well cleaned and primed. After embedding, the repaired surface is covered with a film and kept for several days to give the concrete strength;
- If there are concrete failures, then such sections must be dismantled with the subsequent laying of new sections of concrete. If the blind area has many failures, it is better not to repair it, but to make a new one. Apparently, in this case, it was built in violation of technological standards;
- It is best to seal expansion joints adjacent to the house with bituminous mastic. It is poured into the formed gaps, where it freezes. You can also use special bitumen-based sealants available in syringe tubes.
We figured out the concrete blind area. And how to repair the blind area around the house with your own hands, made of materials other than concrete?

The damaged areas must be cleaned of the remnants of old material. The place to be repaired must be covered with a layer of heated bitumen and wait for it to solidify. Asphalt concrete is poured into the hole, which is rolled with a heavy roller. The direction of movement of the roller is from the edges of the backfill to its center. The level of the new layer should slightly exceed the level of the blind area. In this case, quality coverage will be provided.

If you have ever laid paving slabs, then repairing a surface lined with this material or paving stones will not be difficult for you. The damaged tiles are removed from their places, after which the voids are filled with a small amount of sand. New tiles are placed on this sand and set in place with a rubber mallet. This replaces all the tiles that need it.

It happens that some sections of the formwork, lined with paving stones or tiles, sagged and sank. This happens if the underfill was made very thin. Repairing such damage comes down to removing the tiles from their places and making a high-quality cushion of rubble and sand. Tiles or paving stones are laid on the new pillow according to the technology of their installation.

Do you know how to install a storm sewer? This will help drain rainwater from the site to special places.
It is always useful on the farm to have a pump for pumping out dirty water. Information about the scope of its application and advice on choosing is on our website.

The advantages and disadvantages of wells and wells are discussed here.

If it is necessary to repair the surface lined with cobblestones, it is necessary to remove the old mortar on the damaged area and remove the stones from their places. The vacated places are cleaned, covered with rubble and compacted. A cement mortar is poured onto the crushed stone, on which the prepared cobblestone is laid. All gaps between adjacent stones are spilled with a liquid mixture of cement and water.

It does not matter whether the repair of the blind area of an apartment building or a small country house is being carried out, it should be carried out according to the same rules. This will greatly reduce the risk of similar problems occurring in the future.

One of the examples of how you can fill up the cracks in the concrete blind area is shown in the video.

Incorrect laying technology

The second reason for the destruction of the blind area is improper backfilling. An uneven and loose pad makes the top cover vulnerable.

Performing work on laying the blind area in hot weather, when rain or frost approaches, also adversely affects the strength of the structure.

The strength and integrity of the blind area largely depends on the preparation of a concrete solution for pouring. Excess binder will lead to cracking of the surface, and from a lack of it, the blind area begins to crumble.

Concreting rules violated

The cement brand plays an important role. The use of cement, which is intended for indoor use, is not allowed.

Filling with an already set solution can lead to the destruction of the blind area.

Under the influence of seasonal temperature fluctuations, the soil can move, shrink and swell. All this leads to the formation of destruction. A damper seam helps to extend the life of the blind area in such conditions. It is placed between the plinth and the blind area to act as a shock absorber.

The blind area can be made of various building materials. In accordance with this, the repair of the blind area is carried out using the appropriate technology.

The blind area of paving slabs requires repair in two cases:

Repair of asphalt blind area
- Complete removal of the damaged area.
- Cleansing from existing contaminants.
- Covering the entire restoration surface with liquefied bitumen.
- Laying a new layer of asphalt.
- Compaction with a roller.
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To repair the blind area from the cobblestone, the old binder is removed from the damaged area and the stones are removed. The freed area is covered with gravel and tamped. A cement solution is poured over this and the cobblestone is returned to its place. The gaps between stones with grout.

Cobblestone blind area restoration

Regardless of the material from which the blind area is made, you should not postpone the repair of the damaged area. If you find even the slightest defect, you should immediately eliminate it. This will prevent moisture from entering the foundation and protect the house from deformation and destruction.

The blind area around the house is an integral part of the building, protecting the foundation from rainwater entering it. It is a waterproof coating located around the perimeter of the entire building.

After some time, the protective strip can be destroyed. This can be due to a number of factors:

Phenomena such as partial shedding, cracking, delamination indicate the need for current repairs of the protective coating of the house.

Consider the reasons associated with the destruction of the blind area and the specifics of the repair of the protective tape.

There are several types of blind area:

Its restoration depends on the materials used in its manufacture.

Repairing a cobblestone defensive line involves replacing damaged areas. This will require a chisel and hammer. With these tools, deformed boulders are removed from the structure. On the empty space, it is necessary to pour a mixture of sand and gravel or crushed rubble to level the layer, then tamp everything well, fill it with cement mortar and put in a suitable cobblestone. If there are small cracks, it will be enough to seal them with concrete.

Concrete protective strip is used most often due to its affordability in price, as well as positive performance.

Repair of a concrete blind area is divided into two types:
1. Covering up small single discontinuities.
2. Replacing large destroyed areas when the house subsides.
To prevent further deformation of the coating and the ingress of water into the foundation of the house, repairs must be carried out immediately after the detection of defects.

To eliminate destruction, you can use mixtures of concrete and construction glue, special polymer materials, moisture-resistant polyurethane foam... Penetrating into the formed cracks, such mixtures quickly harden. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that cement is not suitable for these purposes, because it does not cover the entire depth of the crack, but only its upper part.

When restoring the asphalt belt, all areas to be repaired must be dismantled to its full depth. The resulting pit is cleaned and the bottom and edges are treated with liquid resin. After that, a new layer of asphalt is covered and compacted with a roller, while the new layer must be higher than the old one.

The rolling of the new coating must be done from the edges towards the center. The result is a stronger grip.

Restoring a blind area from a tile involves replacing a defective part of it. Before replacing a new one, rubble or sand is added to the recess, after which a new tile is laid.

If it is necessary to replace a large part of the tape, you can use a mixture of sand and cement in a dry form using gunning (the solution is applied with a cement gun under compressed air pressure). After gunning, the surface must be moistened for 14 days.

The desire to reduce costs when choosing a structure, building materials and technology leads to the fact that soon after the construction of the protective tape it has to be repaired. And the upcoming repairs will require a lot of money.

Consider the most common mistakes made in strip manufacturing:
1. The lack of a leveling layer will lead to a rapid settling of the protection. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to make a good abutment of the tape to the foundation.
2. A thin leveling layer and poor tamping will result in sagging and cracking.
3. The absence of longitudinal and transverse expansion (temperature) joints between the strip and the foundation - with temperature drops and soil movements, the structure will not be able to contract and expand. As a result, recovery may be required after the first winter. The expander can be a roofing material folded in two layers, located between the foundation and concrete.
4. Absence of a sand and gravel layer - when placing concrete directly on the ground, heaving of the soil will lead to deformation of the protective strip.
5. When the thickness of the tape decreases towards the edge, its destruction occurs under the action of streams of water flowing down from the roof of the building.
6. Absence of gutters - the surface of the blind area crumbles from the flowing water.
7. Not reinforcing the concrete strip - in this case, the service life of the structure is reduced.
8. Using a mixture of sand and clay when laying the blind area - under the influence of frozen clay, parts of the concrete can flake off.
9. Pouring concrete without dividing into segments will lead to the rapid destruction of the entire belt.
The decision on the need to repair the protective strip is made after a detailed study and establishment of the technical condition of the strip and foundation.

Major restoration is carried out in the event of almost complete destruction of the blind area.

This type of restoration includes:
- renewal of slabs;
- replacement or restoration of the drainage system;
- repair of the reinforcing frame;
- renovation of waterproofing;
- moss and lichen removal;
- dismantling the old tape or replacing new parts.
Small cracks existing in one area are combined into one zone, embroidered and then crushed stone is poured into the resulting depression and poured with polymer concrete.

During major repairs, a layer of concrete is poured above the level of the previous protective strip - this ensures better adhesion of the new to the old one.

To repair the blind area, you need to use high-quality materials and be clearly guided by construction technology.

Consider the list and quantity of materials required to perform work to eliminate defects in the protective strip.

To repair a concrete blind area (width 1 meter, thickness 10 centimeters) you will need:

For the preparation of concrete (1 m2):
- cement M 500 - 32 kg;
- screenings or crushed stone (5-10 mm) - 0.08 m3;
- sand - 0.05 m3;
For the pillow:
- geotextile, PVC film - 1m2;
- sand - 0.05-0.1 m3;
- screenings or crushed stone (3-10 mm) - 0.1 m3;
The technological process of sealing small cracks and chips consists in performing the following actions:
- cleaning the surface of the protective line in the area of the recess or chip;
- shallow cracks are treated with two layers of a deep penetrating primer solution;
- Defects are repaired with a cement-sand mortar in a ratio of 1: 2. A spatula is used in the work. Half an hour after covering the cracks, the sealing site must be wiped with a wooden trowel and dry cement;
- defects such as peeling are eliminated by cleaning and filling the areas with a composition of bitumen mastic, asbestos and slag. It is recommended to use the composition in proportions: 75% - mastic, 15% - asbestos, 10% - crushed slag. After embedding, pour a layer of sand onto the surface.
Restoration work is best carried out in early spring or late autumn, then all defects open up best, and the concrete is at rest (does not expand under the influence of high temperature and sunlight).

It is necessary to constantly monitor the condition of the protective strip and timely repair it. This is not particularly difficult and does not require special efforts and qualifications in construction.

One of the most problematic areas of the blind area is where it connects to the base of the house. About half of all problems occur when the blind area is peeling from the foundation.

If the delamination is small, you can use a sealant or waterproofing fillers.

If a large gap forms, it must be immediately eliminated, but this will require much more effort, time and money.

When repairing on their own, professionals advise to carry out the following work:
1. Clear the gap of sand, earth and debris.
2. Fill cracks with concrete. For durability, steel mesh can be added during concreting.
3. A few days after the solution has hardened, the surface must be treated with a primer for external work.
4. For prevention purposes, it is recommended to dig a recess of 20-30 centimeters and fill it with a solution.
5. To eliminate cracks and cracks, it is best to use the material that was used for the construction of the blind area.
6. In the event of complete destruction of the protective tape due to subsidence of the soil, the destroyed part should be completely dismantled, the soil should be removed, then the backing layer should be restored. In the depression, clay is trampled down with a 20-centimeter layer, then sand with a layer of 10-15 centimeters, which can be moistened and tamped again. Cover the sand with crushed stone or broken brick with a layer of 10 centimeters. Then the formwork is built and the concrete is poured. For reliability, the repaired area is covered with a reinforcing mesh. To achieve a better connection, the old area needs to be increased by 1-2 centimeters.