While it’s not the most fun or enriching activity, there are many home repairs that you can do yourself and you’ll save tons of money if you do. One of those listed is drywall repair which can be easy and relatively cheap. Not listed, and slightly more intimidating is concrete repair. But like wall repair, this too can be super easy and affordable to repair cracks in concrete saving you tons of money on having a professional come out and do it. Homeowners aren’t the only ones who can make these repairs, if you do facilities repairs or work in building services, you can use these materials and techniques too. And probably do already.
Like damaging drywall, repairing drywall is pretty easy. We carry 3M’s wall repair compounds and repair kits like the PPP-Kit (patch plus primer). This kit, along with the FPP-kit (fiber reinforced compound) contain everything you need to repair a small hole in your drywall. All you have to do is prepare the hole, secure the mesh in the hole, then use the spread to cover the hole with the wall compound. Another multi-in-one is 3M’s PPP – which features a putty knife and sanding pad on the bottle making it a complete package to fix small holes like nails, nicks and gouges. If you do a lot of these repairs, you can get repair plates sold separately too, 3M RP61N-4PK, then use those with whichever compound you prefer. The compounds are available separately too, 3M’s Patch Plus Primer (PPP-8-BB) is available in 8, 16 or 32 fl oz and the fiber reinforced compound (FPP-12-BB) is available in 12 or 32 fl oz.
All of these are super affordable and easy ways for you to repair holes, damages and dings in your drywall and they dry quickly and are ready for work in as little as 30 minutes, depending on the compound. Compared to having a professional come in and do it, you’ll be saving tons of time and money by just buying the parts yourself. With these 3M repair kits, you can probably have the hole fixed before you can even set an appointment up to have someone come and do it for you. Thankfully, minor concrete repairs are even easier to fix.
How often do you walk down the sidewalk or see a concrete driveway or floor with cracks in it? Not only is that not a pretty sight, it can eventually become a safety hazard as the concrete shifts, moves and sinks due to various environmental factors, thereby creating trip hazards. If you’re looking for a quick repair it can be as quick as just filling the hole with 3M’s Concrete Self-Leveling repair which flows freely into whatever horizontal areas that it can find. It hardens within five minutes and is ready for sanding and more within 15! That’s pretty quick. Sometimes though, especially if it’s a bigger issue, you might want to prep the crevice by cleaning it out and adding some filler, though this is not always necessary.
If you want something a little stronger, you might need to go with 3M Scotch-Weld Concrete Repair DP600. This one is also self-leveling, making that part of the job that much easier. This is not only a stronger finish, but it works really quickly too. The DP600 hardens in as little as five minutes and you can drive a forklift over it within 15. Similarly, the DP600NS is a urethane mix that sets within five minutes and is fully cured within an hour. Non-sag means that there will be minimal flowing when used on something other than the floor. Think cracks in the wall or inverted joints. The downside to this is that the Scotch-Weld needs to be used with the correct mixing nozzle and applicator gun.
Next time you find a hole in your wall or a crack in your concrete, before you call the local handyman, see if it’s a job you can do yourself with one of 3M’s wall repair kits or one of the concrete repair methods. You’ll not only save a lot of time in finding and coordinating a handyman, you’ll also save a lot of money. And chances are, your handyman will just use one of these anyways.