We finally made the decision to move forward on a floor treatment that I had stumbled across in a magazine
Besides the really awesome way it looked…the price tag look a lot better
Just so you won’t think I’m teasing you for the next few days…I’ll share with you now the cost of this project
for one 11ft x 12ft room
Are you ready?
About $85.00 🙂 and I’m rounding up.
Now you know!
Now for the fun stuff…
Preparing the floor.
It was simple, just vacuum and remove any clumps of paint or plaster left behind from the builders and repair any holes or cracks that were more than 1/8″ wide.
Yeah, let’s see…my house was built in 1985. Remarkably no cracks! I mean there are teeny tiny hairline cracks but those didn’t warrant my attention. Not like the the four huge gaping holes in the middle of the floor and all of the little holes left behind from the carpet tack boards.
Never say that Facebook is a waste of time…had I done what I had researched about patching holes in cement slabs I would have wasted my time and money. Thankfully before I moved any further on this project I posted a question on Funky Junk Interiors fan page. Yep! You read it right…I figured with all of the projects she had done in her home, she just might know the answer. 
But it gets better…Tammy from Junk Situation commented on the post and told me what to do. Turns out her hubby is a builder. Baddabingbaddaboom! I had my answer and better yet, what I needed only cost me $10 at Home Depot and that one bucket of Quickrete Quick Setting Cement Patch will do my whole house!
Here are two of the Grand Canyon like holes in my son’s floor. They have been there since the house was built and they were just covered up with carpet so we never knew they were there until we ripped the carpet out.
One even had some re-bar tie wire sticking out
Following the directions mister just mixed a small amount in a plastic milk jug he cut down and he went to town with a flat edge tool. You can use a trowel but for the small holes around the perimeter of the room and even the large holes this was sufficient and easier to use.
You just add a bit to the hole and remove the excess off of the top…sort of like icing a cake!
It looks a bit rough but after it drys we went back and just smoothed it up with damp sponge and some sand paper, then vacuumed up the dust.
The directions suggest that you keep the area damp so we kept a spray bottle of water handy for misting the area. If you get it too damp just wipe away the excess water with a washcloth. Concrete is porous so the water soaks in quickly.
This was the largest area of repair. It was actually one really large hole and two smaller. This is the one that had the re-bar tie wire sticking up.
This is how it looked after it dried and it was sanded down and cleaned up. It looks rough but it isn’t, the photo is deceiving. You might see though the small cracks in the patch, that was the deepest area. The directions tell you to put a small amount in and let that set, then come back and add more until you get to the level of the floor.
Holes are patched. You see that the two smaller holes are hard to see. The larger one is easy to spot but not for long. The white splotches are paint stains and are smooth so we move on.
Scraped. Patched. Vacuumed.
It’s ready!
Stay tuned…
oh. and if by chance I have left something out or didn’t explain this correctly, please don’t hesitate to let me know…this helps everyone down the road.
Blessings,
Rustique Art 
Cindi,
Glad you’re getting your floor project goin’………… I was just looking at your blog and saw your comments about our conversation! My husband thought that was pretty cool 🙂 Can’t wait to see your finished product. We have a concrete floor that we need to do the same way. Good luck!
Oh I am excited to read your post. Just tonight I was taking up tiles from the concrete floor in my garage/apartment/guestroom, getting ready to stain or finish the concrete somehow. Haven’t decided exactly yet. Now I know what to do about the holes from the carpet nails. Hope you get yours done quickly so I can see how they turn out before I tackle mine!
Laura
http://lauranell.com
Wow, my husband was impressed! Do share when you get your project finished. We need to do the same to our garage floor. Good luck Cindi 🙂
I love DIY tutorials! I also love your crop spacers and wire flowers, so cool! Thank you for joining Masterpiece Monday and sharing them. I featured them this week on “My Top Ten Fav Picks” segment. I hope you have a blessed Easter, Mary :O)
We have this great big crack on our front porch, and it’s getting worse. It actually has split and one side is raised up about an inch above the other side (does that make sense)? I’m wondering if we could use this stuff to cover the crack and level it out even with the other side? Otherwise I’m thinking we’ll have to bust up the whole porch and pour new concrete.
Thanks for any suggestions!
Judy
Yes, that makes a clear visual for me. It sounds like you will need to consult someone with more knowledge than me. If it is your front porch does that mean it’s part of your foundation? If so then I would call a professional to come and look at it. The holes in my sons floor I would assume where cause by things being dropped on the cement during the construction of the home. Concrete slab with incur small hairline cracks over time, however anything that begins to widen and shift needs attention. I hope that it is nothing major and something that can be repaired without a lot of cost. Please let me know what you find out, I would be interested in hearing the verdict.
Hello Cindi,
Quikrete has really a good product review. I’ve seen so many results and good feedback about it. It is really such a nice product. Nice job!
This is a great blog on how to patch a concrete floor. It’s amazing how many people are afraid to tackle a project like this just for that fact. Epoxy based fillers are great for cracks as well. Here’s and article on repairing garage floors that might be helpful as well.
Way to make it as easy as it looks…. Good job!
Floor looks nice, it will look even better when you are completed. The small hairline cracks will add to the character of the finished floor. I have had customers refuse to resurface the concrete because they wanted to see the cracks.
I am trying to stain my entire downstairs- about 1,000 sq ft. Tack strip holes and some LARGE patches from where the parquet ripped up the concrete. Curious how this project ended up for you and how the patches worked out. Looking for ideas to make it look intentional/creative.
Hey Andrea,
Wow! that sounds like quite a project. The patched areas turned out fine for what we were doing, which was papering over the areas. So an extremely smooth surface wasn’t a must. I would suggest lightly sanding the patched areas while the cement is still damp. Using a damp sponge to help smooth bumps and blend might work great.
Hope your project turns out well, good luck and happy patching.
Well, these kind holes are very common in concrete floors and it ruins the beauty of the whole flooring. Thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful post about repairing these holes. It looks so easy and can be done without costing a lot of money. 🙂
You made the right choice of buying Quickrete Quick Setting Cement and I can attest that this works well on patching floors. Great post and I look forward when everything’s done. Keep up the good work and wishing you all the best for 2015!
You made this look really easy! I’ll have to give it a try myself. Thanks for sharing!