Free photo or on-site estimate
A close photo and a wide shot show us depth and how far the damage runs.
What concrete repair includes
Damaged material out, sound concrete rebuilt, finish to match.
Written quote within 24 hours
Each area priced separately, with removal and rebuild on their own lines.
Loose concrete removed to a solid base
We chip back until the tool stops bringing material away.
Repair mortar built back in layers
Deep pockets are filled in lifts so each layer bonds and cures.
Finish matched to the surrounding surface
Steps, walls and slab edges are finished to blend with what is around them.
Our Process
How concrete repair works
1
Send photos of the damage
One close-up and one wider shot for each area you want fixed.
2
We sound and measure the area
Tapping and probing show how far the weak concrete runs past what you can see.
3
Written quote in 24 hours
Removal, rebuild and any coating listed as separate items.
4
Cut back, rebuild, cure
Square-cut edges, repair mortar keyed in, then time to cure before traffic or coating.
Where concrete damage shows up around a house
Foundation walls above grade
The band from grade to about 18 inches takes splash, snow and de-icer every winter.
Front steps and stoops
Tread edges and nosings break first under salt, shovels and foot traffic.
Garage slab edges
Brine off the car sits where the slab meets the wall and eats into both.
What concrete repair covers on an Ottawa home
Ottawa Parging Experts repairs concrete that is breaking away on the parts of a house that take the most weather: foundation walls above grade, front steps and stoops, window well surrounds and the edges of garage slabs. The work is the same on each one. Weak and loose concrete comes out, the edges are cut square so new material can lock in, and the area is rebuilt with repair mortar and left to cure before any traffic or coating goes on.
This is different from repairing parging. Parging is a thin coat over the wall, usually a quarter to half an inch thick. When the coat lets go but the wall behind it is sound, a parging repair is enough. When you can see stone aggregate, the hollow cells of a block or rusty steel in the damaged area, the concrete itself has failed, and that part has to be rebuilt first.
Why concrete breaks up in Ottawa
Freeze-thaw cycling breaks up concrete. Water soaks into the surface, freezes, expands and pushes the top layer apart a little each time. Ottawa goes through dozens of freeze-thaw cycles a year, so a surface that stays wet through spring and fall takes that stress again and again.
Road salt speeds it up. Brine tracked off the street and driveway soaks into steps, slab edges and the base of walls, and salt-laden water does more damage in a freeze than clean water. That is why spalling shows up first at the bottom of the wall, on step treads and where a garage slab meets the foundation. On older concrete with steel close to the surface, chlorides also reach the reinforcement, which rusts, expands and pushes more concrete off from behind.
How the repair is done
Every repair starts with finding the edge of the damage. We tap and probe around the visible area, because weak concrete usually runs further than what has already fallen off. Everything that sounds hollow or breaks away under the tool comes out.
The edges are then cut square, slightly undercut where possible, so the repair is held in place rather than sitting in a shallow dish. Exposed steel is cleaned and treated. The area is dampened so the dry old concrete does not pull water out of the new mix, then rebuilt with a repair mortar suited to the depth. Deep pockets are filled in layers, each one bonded to the last.
Curing is part of the job, not an extra. Repair mortar needs above-freezing temperatures and time before it takes foot traffic, de-icer or a coating, so outdoor concrete work runs from roughly late April to early October.
Steps, stoops and slab edges
Concrete steps take more abuse than any other masonry on a house. Shovels, salt and foot traffic wear down the nosings until the edge rounds off and the step height changes, which is a trip hazard as well as a cosmetic problem. Solid steps with worn edges and tired faces can be rebuilt and resurfaced, and our concrete step repair page covers that work in detail. Steps that have sunk, pulled away from the house or cracked through need replacing or lifting, and we will tell you when that is the case.
Garage slab edges fail for the same reason: brine runs off the car and sits where the slab meets the wall. See our page on garage foundation parging for how that strip is rebuilt and protected, and salt damage foundation repair for walls where salt is the main cause.
When it is not a surface repair
Some damage needs a structural fix, not a patch. A crack wider than about a quarter inch, one that keeps growing, one where one side has shifted past the other, or one that comes with sticking doors and windows points to movement in the structure. Those need a structural engineer's opinion before any surface work. Smaller, stable cracks in a foundation wall are covered on our foundation crack repair page.
What concrete repair costs in Ottawa
Concrete repair prices on depth and area, because most of the labour is in removal and rebuilding. A single damaged area on an otherwise sound wall or step generally falls in the $300 to $600 range. Several areas, or one deep pocket with steel to treat, usually runs $600 to $1,500. Damage across a whole wall or a full set of steps, with a recoat afterwards, runs $1,500 to $6,000. Thin resurfacing overlays on sound concrete are priced per square foot, typically in the range of $3 to $9 depending on condition and access. The full breakdown is on our parging cost page, and a free on-site or photo estimate gets you a written quote within 24 hours.
Concrete repair questions
Is concrete repair different from parging repair?
Yes. Parging repair fixes the thin coating on the wall. Concrete repair rebuilds the wall, step or slab underneath when the concrete itself is breaking away. Many jobs need both, in that order.
Can worn concrete steps be resurfaced instead of replaced?
If the steps are solid and not settling, damaged edges can be rebuilt and the faces resurfaced. Steps that have sunk, pulled away from the house or cracked right through need replacing or lifting, which is a different trade.
What makes concrete break up on Ottawa homes?
Water and cold. Water soaks into the surface, freezes and expands, and road salt makes each cycle harder on the concrete. Over the years the top layer weakens and breaks away, starting at edges and corners.
Will the repair match the colour of the old concrete?
New repair mortar starts a different shade from weathered concrete and lightens as it cures. On steps and walls the area can be finished with a coating so the whole surface reads as one colour.
When is cracked concrete a structural problem?
When a crack is wider than about a quarter inch, keeps growing, has one side shifted past the other, or comes with doors and windows that stick. Those signs call for a structural engineer before any surface repair.