🧱 5 Common DIY Concrete Repair Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them in Culver City)

So—you’ve got a crack in your driveway or patio and you’re thinking: “How hard can this be?”

After all, you fixed that leaky faucet last month. You even managed to assemble that IKEA bookshelf without a meltdown. And YouTube makes concrete repair look easy enough, right?

Here’s the thing: after 20+ years of cleaning up DIY concrete “fixes” around Culver City, I’ve seen some real doozies. Good people with the best intentions… who ended up making things worse (and more expensive). Don’t be that person.

Let’s talk about the five biggest mistakes.

Mistake #1: Thinking Water Isn’t a Big Deal

I get it—we live in LA County. Drought headlines every year. Water feels like gold, not a problem.

But concrete doesn’t care about headlines. When water shows up—from irrigation, sprinklers, or that one big storm every February—it finds every weakness in your slab.

I was at a home off Sepulveda recently—gorgeous modern place. Their driveway should’ve lasted decades, but three years of daily sprinkler overspray chewed through the concrete. Now they’re paying for jackhammers instead of just a simple reseal.

💡 Pro tip: make sure sprinklers spray your lawn, not your driveway. Water always wins.

Mistake #2: Grabbing the Wrong Product

All concrete patching products are not created equal.

I’ve seen folks grab whatever’s on sale at the hardware store, slap it down, and—boom—three weeks later it’s cracking or peeling like old paint.

One Culver City homeowner spent three entire weekends trying to fix a patio with indoor patch material—in full California sun! No surprise it kept failing. We stripped it and fixed it properly in half a day.

💡 Pro tip: read the label—interior vs. exterior matters. Get the right product for the right surface.

Mistake #3: Skipping the Cleaning Step

This one’s about patience. Nobody wants to spend an hour scrubbing oil stains or etching old, chalky concrete before patching. But here’s the reality: concrete is picky. It won’t bond to dirt, oil, or buildup.

It’s like painting over crayons on a wall—sure, you can do it, but it won’t look right or last long.

💡 Pro tip: prep is half the job. Clean thoroughly before you repair, and your fixes will actually last.

Mistake #4: Trusting Your Eyes on “Level”

Here’s the truth: what looks level to your eyes can be way off in reality. That quarter‑inch difference you don’t see? It’s enough to trip someone or create a puddle that slowly eats into the slab.

I carry a small level with me everywhere, and yeah—it makes me look obsessive. But after seeing too many trip‑and‑fall cases (and insurance headaches) in Culver City, I know better.

💡 Pro tip: trust tools, not your eyes. Concrete doesn’t forgive “close enough.”

Mistake #5: Ignoring Permits and City Rules

Here’s a fun one: Culver City, like Beverly Hills, has regulations. Especially if you’re touching sidewalks, curbs, or anything that affects drainage.

I know one guy who had to rip out an entire freshly poured driveway because he didn’t pull a permit. Tried to save a buck skipping the paperwork. Ended up paying twice—once for the project, once to redo it correctly.

💡 Pro tip: check with the city before you start. Paperwork beats a $10,000 do‑over every time.

The Bottom Line

DIY concrete repair looks easy on YouTube. In reality? One skipped step, one wrong product, or one overlooked sprinkler head can mean thousands of dollars in damage later.

If you’re not sure—call in someone local who’s already learned all these lessons the hard way. At Culver City Concrete, we’ll tell you straight up whether you can handle it yourself or if it’s time to let a pro step in.

Because honestly? You’ve got better things to do with your weekends than strip out three failed patio patches.