Morgan Services Group Corp

Leaders in the demolition industry in New York City

Tag: repairing a cracked sidewalk

Benefits of Safe Sidewalks

Whether you walk, bike, or use a motorized vehicle as a means of transportation, safe and maintained sidewalks are important. In today’s blog, we will explore some reasons why sidewalk maintenance is so important.

Pedestrian Safety
Sidewalks are used for biking or walking to and from different destinations each day; this fact alone should be enough to understand why sidewalks need to be well kept. When sidewalks begin to break down, pedestrians are the first to be affected. People walking or biking can trip and fall, slip, or simply be unable to pass by. This is especially true for children, who often aren’t watching where they are going. An untied shoelace and a broken piece of concrete can be cause for a trip to the ER. When sidewalks are maintained, the risk factor goes down. Even for adults, a particularly sharp piece of broken concrete can be enough to cut through shoes and cause injury.
ADA individuals are also at risk when sidewalk maintenance isn’t taken seriously. In order for a sidewalk to be considered safe, individuals must be able to travel along the path without fear of falling or injury. People on bikes or in wheelchairs should be able to travel smoothly while avoiding a rough and bumpy ride. 

Curb Appeal
Maintaining sidewalks that are a part of your property is important if you’re looking to increase value. Whether you’re trying to attract potential buyers or you simply want to show off your property to friends and family, a well-kept concrete walkway is important. Even though you may not notice chips and cracks in your sidewalks, those who are interested in buying will. DIY often creates more of an eyesore, which only leaves the situation worse than before. If you have a cracked, chipped, or uneven sidewalk on your property, the best decision you can make is hiring a professional to fix it up!

Protection and Life Extension
If you have no future plans to sell your property, ensuring the quality of the walkways you currently have is important. Whether you just got them repaved or you simply want to avoid a fix in the near future, maintenance and upkeep are required. When you see a little crack or chip, you should fix it right away. If you let these small things go, they grow bigger and bigger. Eventually, you’ll need a full-blown maintenance job that will cost you more than a small fix would have. Chips and cracks can happen due to weather, daily use, accidents and more. Fight back and having a professional you trust to help you with every small crack and chip can make all the difference! 

Conclusion
Safe sidewalks can greatly improve many aspects of daily life. Whether you use sidewalks to get to and from places, you’re interested in selling your property, or you’re simply looking to extend the life of your current walkway, an experienced professional you can rely on has never been easier to find! Head on over to our website and see just how we can help you!

Sidewalk Maintenance: When to Repair and When to Replace

Concrete may seem like an infallible and sturdy material, but even those tough and resilient sidewalks are susceptible to damages if exposed to the right factors. And while some veterans may know better, others not as versed in proper sidewalk repair may feel the need to replace an entire slab of sidewalk before that becomes truly necessary!

So what exactly constitutes a situation that calls for repairs and a situation that demands replacement? That’s precisely what we plan to cover for you today! Read on for a few common issues residential and shared sidewalks can be notorious for and learn when the opportunity for replacement is truly necessary.

Large and Deep Cracks

An important distinction many will have to learn how to make is the difference between aesthetic damages and foundational damages. Aesthetic damages can be overlooked without jeopardizing the safety of pedestrians while foundational ones need to be addressed quickly in to prevent injury.

With that in mind, it helps to know that cracks wider than ½ an inch usually indicate a major problem with the stability of a sidewalk slab and need to be fixed quickly. It’s often recommended that slabs with these deeper cracks be replaced entirely to avoid further degradation down the road. When it comes to cracks less than ¼ inch wide, replacement can be opted against in favor of simple and more affordable repairs.

Wide Cracks

Tiny hairline cracks can usually be repaired without much consequence and without a grand scale replacement. However, extensive hairline cracks that spider web out can prove a different beast altogether. Wide-spanning cracks that start in the middle of the slab can still prove a foundational risk despite the shallow chips in concrete. In these cases, the smarter option would surely be to replace the slab outright.

Older Sidewalks

Concrete may be strong, but it’s no more resistant to the degradation that comes with time than we are. As sidewalks age and are left exposed to the elements, they can begin to lift and shift out of place, making for an uneven walking space that can easily trip up passersby. If you notice the height from one section of sidewalk to another differs by about ½ an inch or more, replacement becomes a worthwhile endeavor. You could hire a slab jack to shift the segment back into place, but that will ultimately lead to it shifting again. Your best bet may just be paying to replace now and avoiding the regularly occurring repairs in the long run.

Conclusion

When it comes to proper maintenance for your property’s interior and exterior, knowing what makes for worthwhile repairs and replacements can save you quite a bit of time, money, and stress! No need to become an expert! Brush up on the small tells and invest in the maintenance that actually matters.