A concrete solution to oil stains

This is a Hammer

Q: After reading your column about oil stains on a concrete driveway, I thought I would send you my solution. I keep a bucket of dry cement in the garage. Every time someone parks on my driveway and their car leaves a few spots of oil, I sprinkle a few spoonfuls of the dry cement on top of the oil to soak it up. After a couple of hours, I gently remove the glob, or whatever you want to call it, and sprinkle more of the cement on the spots that are left. I brush this in with a broom and leave for a couple of days. If it rains, the rain washes the remainder away, or it can be swept up and removed. I have tried them all, but this seems to be the best and the easiest solution. — Walter B., via e-mail

A: Walter, this is a great idea that I hadn’t heard of before. It’s important to note that the cement should be picked up within a couple of hours so that it doesn’t adhere to the concrete or brick. The oil itself will help prevent the cement from adhering, but any water in the area (from high humidity, morning dew, snowmelt or lawn sprinklers) could wet the dry cement. So clean up the cement after a couple hours. If needed, apply a new coating of dry cement and pick up again, or follow Walter’s advice and brush a thin layer into the stain.

As always, it’s advisable to test this method on a small or inconspicuous area of the driveway before tackling larger stains. All stains should be addressed as quickly as possible to reduce the possibility of the stain becoming permanent.

More Concrete: Spring is the best time to go out and check the concrete surfaces outside your home. This includes your driveway, exterior walls, sidewalks and any other masonry out there.

Driveway and sidewalk cracks are fairly common and are caused by any number of stresses, including heat, freezing, impact and movement of the subsoil. They are relatively easy to repair.

Smaller cracks — those less than one-half-inch wide — can be fixed with vinyl-reinforced patching compound. After prepping the crack (including an application of bonding adhesive), trowel the compound into the crack and feather it even with the surface. This type of compound also works well when patching vertical surfaces, like walls or steps. Just apply the compound in layers and feather smooth with the old surface.

Home Tip: Repair cracks in a concrete foundation quickly, or they may enlarge and become entry points for insects and rodents.