Rant: That crack repair took me 8 hours when it should have been 2

I had this driveway job over in Oakwood last month where the homeowner wanted me to fix some hairline cracks before they got worse. I figured it's a simple fill and seal job, maybe a couple hours tops. But what I didn't realize was that the previous guy had used some kind of silicone caulk that had hardened and wouldn't bond with anything new. I spent 4 hours just grinding out all that old junk with a diamond wheel, then another 2 hours cleaning and prepping the surface right. By the time I actually got to apply the polyurea patch and finish it, I had already burned most of the day. Has anyone else run into old repairs that just won't cooperate and take way more time than they should? What do you use to strip out old sealant faster?

2 comments

2 Comments

evand6515d ago

Man that old silicone stuff is a nightmare every time.

nathanking14d ago

Nightmare every time" feels a bit dramatic lol. Like yeah the old stuff is sticky and takes some elbow grease but it's not like you're defusing a bomb. A little solvent and some patience and it's gone. People act like it's the worst thing ever but honestly I'd take that over dealing with leaky copper pipes any day.