PATCHING HOLES IN WALKS OR DRIVEWAYS
How you patch holes in sidewalks and driveways depends on the depth and the size of the hole. If the hole is extremely deep and large, you must undercut it as previously described and fill the area with a gravel mix.
Small, shallow holes in flat-surfaced concrete–such as driveways, patios or sidewalks–can easily be repaired with latex cement (Fig. 10). If the hole is small and shallow, no chipping away is required.
Small, shallow holes need only to be cleaned thoroughly before adding the latex cement.
This cleaning can usually be done with a wire brush, which removes all the small pieces of loose concrete when you rub the area thoroughly (Fig. 11).
After using the wire brush on the damaged area, use a lighter brush to remove the loose particles that were dislodged by the wire brush. Then, wash the area to be repaired with a garden hose (Fig. 12).
After the cleaning is done, you are ready to apply the latex cement. This usually comes in 5-lb. cans, with the liquid latex in a smaller, can inside a larger can.
Pour the liquid latex into the larger can and thoroughly mix it with the latex cement to form a heavy paste. Apply this paste to the area to be patched in approximately 1/4″ layers. Smooth each layer with a trowel and allow to partially dry before applying the next layer.
Build up the latex cement 1/4″ at a time until it reaches the same level as the original concrete. Then, smooth out the area with a trowel or float as you would finish regular concrete (Fig. 13).
