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Bad concrete job fix

Pattern-Normal555

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Joined
Aug 10, 2025
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I'm usually an HVAC guy, but I've been slowly fixing up my own place and ran into an issue with the back door landing.

A few years ago, I had a contractor widen the concrete step to fit a new 36" exterior door. Problem is, they didn't smooth out the surface properly, they just jackhammered the edges and bolted the frame straight onto the rough concrete. They didn't use any waterproof stuff, just spread some cement around the bottom.

Now when it rains hard, water leaks in and it's starting mess it up. ANyone here knows how I should deal with this? any tutorial videos you can recommend?
 
well I'm guessing the best approach is to remove the door and redo the whole thing, which isn't the quickest. You could try to patch things up with a premade concrete, but I'm not sure how well it's going to turn up.
 
Sounds like the step wasnt properly finished or flashed, which is why water's getting in. The fix usually involves removing any loose cement, properly smoothing the edges and installing a waterproof barrier or flashing at the door threshold to direct water away. You might also need to seal gaps with a highquality exterior caulk. For tutorials, look up "exterior door threshold waterproofing" or "installing door flashing" on youtube.. they usually show step-by-step methods that work for DIYers.
 
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