Go To Home Improvement Home | Add to Favorites
Fix Minor Cracks Before They Require Costly Repairs
(ARA) - Buying a home is the single largest investment most people make, so maintaining its value and physical appearance is important. With the average median sales price of nearly $160,000 for existing single-family homes in 2002, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), no homeowner wants to witness the depreciation of their home to standard wear and tear.
Small cracks and fractures in concrete driveways, patios and steps are inevitable with standard use. The same is true for mortar used in brickwork and blacktop surfaces around the home. Addressing these repairs early is critical to avoiding more costly and significant damage. In addition to providing sound horizontal and vertical repairs in surface cracks and fractures, homeowners maximize the aesthetics and appearance of their homes by correcting problems before they have a more serious impact.
Changes in the weather often cause surface cracks, and this is especially true during significant changes in temperatures. When small fractures are left unattended over time, the expansion and contraction in a surface created by temperature changes will enlarge the cracks. The resulting damage is not only unsightly; it minimizes the use and enjoyment of a particular home feature, such as a fireplace or patio.
Homeowners can now successfully tackle fractures and cracks to a variety of surfaces with several new user-friendly repair tubes from QUIKRETE, eliminating potentially larger maintenance demands in the future.
The hand-squeezed repair tubes allow homeowners to quickly and inexpensively seal cracks in driveways, sidewalks, steps, patios, stucco and brickwork. The repair tubes combine quality repair results with ease-of-use. So, rather than requiring a professional mason or commercial contractor for concrete driveway repair or fireplace brickwork, even homeowners with limited do-it-yourself expertise can address these problems before they become a more significant and permanent issue.
The products require minimal surface preparation, and application consists of shaking the tube well, cutting the tip at an angle and hand-squeezing a bead no thicker than 3/8 inch deep into the crack. On horizontal surfaces, deep cracks can be partially filled with fine sand prior to application. After final application, the area can be tooled to even out surfaces, and excess can be wiped off with a damp cloth. One repair tube has an application capacity of 14 feet at 1/4 inch depth.
There were more than 1.7 million new homes under construction in the United States in 2002 according, to NAHB. As the number of homeowners continues to grow, the demand for easy, fast and affordable do-it-yourself home improvement resources also increases. Homeowners have the answer to many of their home improvement needs with the new repair tubes. To learn more about do-it-yourself concrete repair products and projects, visit www.quikrete.com or call (800) 282-5828.
Courtesy of ARA Content
About the author:
Courtesy of ARA Content
Source: Article Directory
A Tiger Rug For Your Home!
Finding a tiger rug that is a match to your home may seem like a big challenge. And, quite frankly, it may be h...
How To Plan Outdoor Holiday Decorating For Your Home And Stay Within Your Budget
When I was a little girl, I remember my dad taking us for drives at night throughout our neighborhood to see the houses decorated for Christmas. There were some that had a simple wreath on the front door and some that looked like Santa’s Workshop on the front lawn.I was always amazed at the beautiful lights, glistening snow, and holiday music. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized tho...
Refinish Your Hardwood Floor Like A Pro
by Dan FarrellThis article is written by a pro of refinishing hardwood floors since I have done too many to count. Maybe 300 would be a good guess. My father was in the business full time (as well as aluminum windows and doors (which I'll write another article about that soon) and while I attended college, and for a short time after, I worked with him as well as on my own refinishing hardwood floors.In fact, I just did my mother-in-law's last summer and my back still hurts!Before you even think of starting this DIY project, you need to be fairly good shape. There is a lot of bending, kneeling and scraping :(Ok, you still are here reading so I guess you are serious :o)Here are the easy? steps to a...
|
 |
|
|
The Benefits Of Painted Wall Murals -
Wall murals are a creative and fun way to liven cold, bare walls. And the best part: anyone can do them—you don’t have to be an artist. You can design your own wall mural using your imagination, artwork, greeting cards, or picture books. You can purchase a wall mural stencil kit to help you, or you can find a local artist to design and paint the perfect wall mural. Painting a wall mural is not difficult, but it does take some work. Before you begin, tape off your woodwork and cover your furniture and carpet to protect them from accidental spills. Depending on the condition of your wall, you may want to apply a neutral base coat to the area where your mural will go. Interior latex paint is a good bet, but you should talk to a paint specialist at a home improvement store to make sure it will work for you. You can use interior latex paint in... |  |
| Choosing A Gas Fireplace To Heat Your Home!
Adding a gas fireplace to your home is adding value to your home. Gas fireplaces are not only there to keep you a little extra toasty in the winter months, but they can significantly reduce heating costs as well. More so, they are cleaner then wood burning fireplaces as well. Adding a gas fireplace requires safety requirements being met and probably should be done by a professional. But, finding a nice gas fireplace is not that difficult. A gas fireplace is an added value to your home. Often it will increase your home’s value monetarily. But, also it adds a great deal to the quality of your home as well. Gas fireplaces offer the family a space to sit and talk while they watch the flames burn. Think of the cold winter night warmed by spending the evening with a good book in front of the fireplace.... | |
| Why Not Add A Shower To Your Bathroom?
If you are thinking of remodeling your bathroom and redoing or adding showers to them, consider all of your choices. The age we live in has allowed us many choices in what we want in our homes. We can choose from high end, high quality items to comfortable old favorites. When looking to redo or install a shower in your bathroom, you have many things to consider.Start by knowing the size of the area you wish to install the shower. Or, if you have a previous shower already installed, removing the old will tell you whether any of the exi... | |
| Get Everything Done Quickly Using Your Basic Tools
No one wants to have their house equipment broken. But it might happened your electricity went off or your water system not working etc due of broken installation. You realize it will take a whole day to wait for your electricians or plumbers to come. So, what should you do?Don’t wait until your family cried loud for light or water. You have to make a quick move. You must check the cause of the trouble, so once the electrician or the plumber came they will know the problem quickly. If you can fix it, that’s a bonus. But to do so, you have to own a set of basic tools in your place. Make sure you have the basic tools that mostly used by electricians and plumbers such as wire snippers, needle... | |
| Need More Room In Your Closet? Try A Custom Closet Organizer -
How much time do you spend searching for lost items? If you’re like most Americans, you probably spend about four weeks a year just looking for things. Much of that time is spent rummaging through the closet, tossing aside old clothes and worn-out shoes. Imagine what you could do with that extra time. From kitchen pantries to bedroom closets, from children’s close... | |
| Planning An Out Of State Move
There’s a lot more to moving to another state than there is to staying within the same state. Expenses can vary greatly from state to state and even though your new salary is going to be much higher than your old, ... | |
| Using A Hardwood Floor Sander
Refinishing your hardwood floors yourself can be time consuming and a bit scary at first but well worth it in the long... | |
| Adding A Floor Lamp To Your Home!
A floor lamp is a great addition to a home. These lamps are great for lighting a small area or a large area. They add a distinct look to a room. They come in many styles and designs. Many are able to be matched to your furniture, curtains, or other accessories. Floor lamps are a great design feature in a room as well as a necessary feature in providing light.Floor lamps come in different styles and shapes. Most are tall, like 6 feet or taller and have an open faced feature at the top to allow light to filter towards the ceiling. This allows the light to spread out in a soft, but effective way and illuminate an area. These lamps can also be halogen floor lamps which are much more cost effective and energy saving.... | |
| How To Choose A Memory Foam Mattress -
If you enjoy the softness of a traditional, coil-spring mattress, but also need the back support of a good solid carpeted floor, then a memory foam mattress provides the perfect middle ground. A memory foam mattress contains most of the cushioning and body forming capabilities of a regular mattress, with all the back support of a floor – perhaps even better than a floor, since memory foam obeys the contours of your spine.Its tendency to soften with warmth and harden with coolness regulates how much support your body gets and where. You’ll feel the greatest difference at the more jutting parts of your body, such as ankles, knees, hips, ribs, shoulders, elbows, finding less aches and pains in the morning. You’ll find that there won’t... | |
|
|