cheapest way of repairing this path

[loltolhurst]

Hi,

diy amateur here.

I want to repair this path where the concrete top has come off. Can I just bung a thin layer back on or will it come off again in a month? It doesnt need to last forever but 2 years would be good. if its just concrete can i just buy some ready mixed stuff - should i add any pva? any other tips?

Thanks

[TheD]

If you are going to top coat it you want at least 2" depth. I would key it first then a bit of Pva all over then a mix of course sand and cement at 4/5 to 1. Make sure the mix is always the same or it will come out different colours. To much cement and it will go white and be brittle.

[deeen]

If those brick edgings are continuous, a waterproof self-levelling screed might work?

[dave_s13]

From the pic it doesn't look like you have enough depth to play with as the path goes toward the gate so just bunging concrete on top, to the level of the edging brickwork, will likely not last very long at that point.

Assuming it's just the stuff in the pic and the path doesn't meander behind that point for 2 miles, it's not a lot of concrete. You just need a sunny sunday, breaker bar, pick axe, length of 2x4 to use as a float and about 1/2 cube of concrete (rough guess).

Alternative might be tarmac? Maybe? Are there any local workman about doing bits of road or anything. Always worth asking chaps like this if they want to earn a quick 50/100quid. That's a 15 min job for someone with the right gear.

Edited by dave_s13 on Friday 28th May 08:37

[loltolhurst]

cheers for the advice so far

[Silver993tt]

I would drill a few holes in the concrete with a big masonry drill to provide some drainage. That would take about 30 mins. Then I would lay a membrane and then cover in some nice looking stone chippings, maybe slate or even something lighter. The brick edging will keep the stones from migrating anywhere else and it will look very nice. It's also a very easy job, much easier than mixing/laying concrete.

[dave_s13]

Silver993tt said:

I would drill a few holes in the concrete with a big masonry drill to provide some drainage. That would take about 30 mins. Then I would lay a membrane and then cover in some nice looking stone chippings, maybe slate or even something lighter. The brick edging will keep the stones from migrating anywhere else and it will look very nice. It's also a very easy job, much easier than mixing/laying concrete.

Good idea!

But. It might "migrate" a bit up toward the gate where there is very little depth to work with. I reckon you'll see the membrane through it after a short while.

Might be worth breaking some of that out?

[Silver993tt]

dave_s13 said:

Silver993tt said:

I would drill a few holes in the concrete with a big masonry drill to provide some drainage. That would take about 30 mins. Then I would lay a membrane and then cover in some nice looking stone chippings, maybe slate or even something lighter. The brick edging will keep the stones from migrating anywhere else and it will look very nice. It's also a very easy job, much easier than mixing/laying concrete.

Good idea!

But. It might "migrate" a bit up toward the gate where there is very little depth to work with. I reckon you'll see the membrane through it after a short while.

Might be worth breaking some of that out?

Well, to the right of the gate as you face it, why not add a single course of bricks to mirror the other side? That would be less than 10 bricks, so a 15-20 min job. That would give you sufficient depth to stop the stones going into the flower bed. You'll need a couple of inches of stones and then you won't see the membrane at all. I did this to a much larger area a couple of years ago and haven't had any problems since.