You can buy some extra time with a few quick tips.

Tool List
Small Trowel or Putty Knife

Materials List
Mortar or Polyurethan caulk

You can fill the cracks in your cement with mortar or you can use Polyurethane caulk. For cracks up to half an inch wide and half an inch deep, a Pour-N-Patch mix is ideal because it is a ready-to-use product.

1. Simply pour or squeeze Pour-N-Patch mix into the crack.

2. Smooth it with a small trowel or putty knife. When it dries, the gray color will blend with existing concrete.

Cracks larger than half an inch should be repaired with a vinyl concrete patch mixture or a fast set cement mix with a bonding agent. Refer to the manufacturer's directions to determine which is best for your project.

For repairing cracks in cement, first, saturate the crack with water. Then, mix the vinyl concrete patch or fast set cement mix according to package directions.

Then force it into the crack, and scrape away the excess.

You can repair large cracks and holes in driveways or walkways with vinyl concrete patch or a fast set cement mix. An acrylic additive or primer/admixture should be added to the mix to improve bonding.

Here is a list of everything you'll need to repair cracks in concrete:

• Pour-N-Patch Product
• Vinyl Concrete Patch Product
• Fast Set Cement Mix product
• Acrylic Additive
• Trowel
• Putty Knife
• Mixing Pail
• Water
• Steel-Bristled Brush

Repairing cracks in joints have at least three purposes:

1. It gives the concrete a neat appearance.
2. It keeps dirt, small rocks, and other debris out of the joints.
3. It minimizes water intrusion to the sub grade through the joint.

Joint sealants can be used on driveways, walkways, patios, pool decks, and parking areas.

In deep joints, install "baker-rod". Chisel out the crack to create a backward-angled cut, using a cold chisel and a hammer.

Clean loose material from the crack using a wire brush, or a portable drill with a wire wheel attachment.

Apply a thin layer of bonding adhesive to the entire repair area using a paintbrush. The bonding adhesive helps keep the repair material from loosening or popping out of the crack.

Mix vinyl reinforced patching compound, and trowel it into the crack. "Feather" the repair with a trowel, so it is even with the surrounding surface.

Variation when repairing a large crack:

Chisel out the crack and clean loose material from the crack as listed above. Then pour sand into the crack to within ˝" of the surface. Prepare sand-mix concrete, adding a concrete fortifier, and then trowel the mixture into the crack. Feather until even with the surrounding surface using a trowel.

For larger problems in cold climate:

Frost heave is very common in cold climates. Moisture in the ground freezes and the concrete is pushed upward.

Be sure to get the advice of a local soil engineer on sub grade preparation for your area and material you will need to prepare sub grade. Remove the concrete. Remove the sub grade. Replace sub grade with compactable material you may be able to use existing material. Compact the sub grade. Pour back concrete.