# sikaflex self leveling sealant disaster



## anthony21078 (Jun 19, 2018)

Moved into a new home about a month ago and I have some problems with the rear concrete patio. It appears that the patio has settled (or the house settled, built in 1984) and the patio is now pitched towards the house instead of away. When it rains all the water pools against the foundation and eventually absorbs into the dirt. There is a solid 1 inch gap around the entire rear of the home where the patio meets the foundation. 



As you can see from the pictures, the cement that was once in the grove is basically gone in many places. I chisled out the rest of the cement and cleaned the remaining debris. I knew I should of went with new cement but I was swayed into thinking that sikaflex self leveling sealent would be a better way to go and easier. 



I filled the gap with backerrod and attempted to cover the area with the sealant. Obviously I used too much sealant and it came out terrible. This was about 6 hours ago. Just terrible....



What are my options here? By spring of 2019 Im planning on having the ENTIRE patio professionally redone anyway BUT for the time being I cant live with this mess. So Im not looking for a permanent fix here but something that will just prevent water from draining towards the foundation. 



Is it even possible to easily remove this sealant? 



Would I be able to lay cement literrally right over this sealant and have the new cement make contact with the patio and the foundation.


----------



## Gregsoldtruck79 (Dec 21, 2017)

I do not see a easy solution. If a person were to cut a straight line around the SL and make it parallel to the house, this would make it look better. But this will not even work because when crooked SL is scraped off, it leaves a "skim" to be seen in the miniscule pores of the concrete. 

Which would then, bring attention to it even worse. Plus, any cutting on the SL may open up holes to allow water back in. If it were mine, I would just learn to not worry about and let the contractor take care of it in 2019. 

And don't beat yourself up so badly about it. I think most of us on our first SL job learned that OOPS, *SL sealant goes WHEREVER there is a low spot.* You stopped the water from doing damage to your home for now, so be proud in that accomplishment and look forward to getting a new patio job. 

So I say, just put your thoughts now on how you want your coming new patio to look when its done. And just let the "run amuck" SL caulk job be ignored. Good Luck and JMO


----------



## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

To tell you the truth, I don't think most visitors will ever notice. 


But one possibility is to give it a coat of grey paint. Buy a roll of 1-1/2" painters tape and put one strip on the wall maybe 3/4" from the ground, and another strip on the patio, maybe 3" from the wall. Make sure the tape lines are straight, and consistent distance. It will still be visible, but you may figure the straight lines look better. The tape may not adhere all too well to the concrete, so take a little care not to brush paint under the tape.


----------



## anthony21078 (Jun 19, 2018)

Appreciete the advice and support on the f**k up job I did.


Cutting a straight line could be a possibility and I understand what your saying about losing the waterproofing aspects. The grove I was trying to fill is maximum 1 inch in width and the sikaflex has spilled over in many places making a maximum width of 2 to 3 inches. Maybe removing about a 1/4 of material might still allow enough waterproofing.


Painting could work as well. Good idea.


Lastly, a friend of mine has a lot of experience with cement and I will ask him to give his opinion as well. But for the time being, is it possible to lay cement over the sikaflex and make contact with the both the patio and foundation with a slight pitch (Im thinking like the sloped side of a right angle triangle if that makes sense)?


----------



## Gregsoldtruck79 (Dec 21, 2017)

I am getting confused here. I thought in 2019 you were taking out the old sinking patio and getting a new one poured ?


----------



## anthony21078 (Jun 19, 2018)

Gregsoldtruck79 said:


> I am getting confused here. I thought in 2019 you were taking out the old sinking patio and getting a new one poured ?



Yes I am. Maybe Im describing what I would like to do for the time being incorrectly. 



Im getting too many complaints from the wife about the visual appearance of the messy sikaflex so I was thinking a little cement work to lay directly over the sikaflex would be another option


----------



## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

Don't even think of doing that, leave well enough alone until you replace it next year, it will soon get dirty like the rest of the concrete and be less notable.


----------

