How to Install Sidewalk Coatings for Your Home
There’s usually more than one way to enter a home. That said, your main entrance should be as welcoming as possible. Many homeowners prefer to construct a path of some sort from the driveway to the front door – call it a walkway, call it a sidewalk. No matter what you call it, you don this path to enhance your home’s curb appeal and allow for safe passage inside. Quality sidewalk coatings help you achieve these goals, providing your sidewalk with long-term protection, additional traction, and improved appearance. Let’s go over how to properly install sidewalk coatings for your home, step by step.
How to Install Sidewalk Coatings
Clean the Concrete
Just as you would before applying coatings to other concrete surfaces, your sidewalk must first be thoroughly cleaned. Dirt and loose debris will hinder the appearance and adhesive quality of your coatings. Generally speaking, the most efficient way to clean your walkway is by pressure washing it. Keep in mind that using too much power or holding the nozzle too close to the concrete can damage it, so proper technique is key.
Do Some Landscaping
After your sidewalk is squeaky clean, take the time to cut the grass and edge along the path to create a trench. You’ll want your trenches at least 4 inches wide and 2-3 inches deep – this will help ensure that you don’t drag any dirt along your sidewalk during the coating process.
Tape Areas You Don’t Want to Coat
Even if you don’t plan on applying decorative sidewalk coatings, you still want your results to be clean and appealing. Just like painting a wall, you want your coatings to stay in their lanes. Taping off edges will help you maintain straight lines and keep coatings off surfaces they don’t belong. Try using duct tape rather than painter’s tape for this project, as duct tape does a better job sticking to concrete.
Make Sure the Conditions Are Right
Different types of coatings require different conditions for optimal application. Some concrete sidewalk coatings are better applied to a completely dry surface, while others do better with some moisture present. Make sure you understand how your coatings best operate so you can get started under the right conditions – you might need to start on a dry, sunny day or gently mist your sidewalk for coatings that prefer a bit of moisture.
Properly Mix the Coating Material
Many concrete coatings also require proper mixing before application (especially resurfacing products). If so, measure your mixing elements carefully so you wind up with the right consistency for the concrete coating in question.
Pour and Spread Evenly
Now, it’s time to begin the coating process. It’s often best to pour a significant amount of your coating onto the concrete and quickly spread it across a given area so it’s evenly applied. You’ll want to repeat this process as you work your way along the entire walkway. It’s important to work efficiently and have a partner aid with mixing so the mix doesn’t dry out as you go. It’s also important to imprint the control joints with a mortar rake before the coatings dry completely – filled joints more easily crack down the line.
Rough It Up
While your coatings are still workable, use a rough material like a broom to form a texture on the coating – this isn’t necessary but it will provide your sidewalk coating with increased traction. Other types of coatings, like Penntek polyurea coatings, feature aggregate material that offers superior traction.
Remove Excess Material
Before the coating completely hardens, do your best to remove excess material to save yourself some time and hassle in the future.
Cover It Up
Lastly, to protect your drying residential concrete coating from pests, sunlight, rain, and other elements, cover your sidewalk with a plastic sheet and make sure no one steps on it until it has fully cured.
Time to Coat or Resurface Your Sidewalk?
The spring and summer months are ideal for sidewalk coating projects in Raleigh, NC. If your sidewalk could use some restoration, the experts at Anderson Painting are here to help. To learn more about us and all we do, call today at 919-610-1855 or email us at info@andersonpaintingnc.com!
