Concrete through a humid year
Concrete in Sebastian rarely has to worry about frost. Its year is shaped instead by long humid stretches and rain that can come down very hard. NOAA's nearest engineering weather station to Sebastian sits at Vero Beach, about 11 miles away. In an average year there, the station counts about 3,067 hours with the wet-bulb temperature above 73°F and about 5,428 hours above 67°F. Those are Vero Beach's figures, not Sebastian's, but they help explain why concrete care here is mostly about water, mildew and drainage rather than frost.
This calendar groups the jobs by season so each one lands when it does the most good.
Late spring: get ready for the wet months
- Clear every joint. Pull grass and weeds out of control joints and cracks. Roots wedge joints apart and lift slab edges over time.
- Fill open cracks. Brush out the debris and use a flexible filler made for concrete, so rain can't run through the crack and wash out the base underneath.
- Check the downspouts. Each one should empty onto a splash block, an extension or a drain that carries water away from the slab and the house.
- Mark low spots. After a sprinkler run, note where water stands on the driveway or patio. Those puddles show where the slab has settled or was poured flat.
- Book new work early. If you want a new patio or a wider driveway, gather quotes before the hottest weeks so the pour can be scheduled for a cooler morning.
Summer: heat, humidity and hard rain
NOAA's 1% summer design temperature for Vero Beach is 91°F, with a mean coincident wet-bulb of 78°F. The same station lists a 100-year rainfall rate of 4.5 inches per hour.
- Treat mildew and algae. Shaded patios, pool surrounds and north-facing walks turn green and slick in humid weather. Use a cleaner labeled for masonry and rinse it off well. Keep a pressure washer wand moving and at a moderate setting; too much pressure etches the surface and opens it to more growth.
- Watch a real downpour. Stand under the eaves during a heavy rain and look at where water goes. Runoff heading toward the foundation or pooling at one edge is the first thing to fix.
- Protect new slabs. If you had concrete poured this season, keep it damp for the full curing period your contractor sets, and keep cars, trailers and sprinkler spray off it until they say otherwise.
- Move heavy loads. Dumpsters, moving trucks and loaded trailers can crack a walk or patio that was never meant to carry them. Lay plywood or keep them on the street.
Before a named storm
The Vero Beach station's 50-year basic wind speed is 140 mph, a 3-second gust at 33 feet.
- Bring in or tie down patio furniture, grills and planters so they can't be dragged across or dropped on a slab.
- Clean gutters and drains so water leaves the property quickly.
- Photograph your slabs before the storm. Pictures with dates make it easier to tell old cracks from new ones afterward.
After the storm
- Walk every slab and look for washed-out soil along edges, new cracks, and spots that sound hollow when tapped.
- Rinse off debris and silt before it stains, and clear any sand from joints.
- Take dated photos of anything new before cleanup or repairs.
The cooler months: seal and repair
Winters are mild by the station's numbers: a 99% winter design temperature of 42°F and about 1 freeze-thaw cycle in an average year.
- Reseal if needed. Pick a run of dry, cooler days so a cleaned slab can dry fully before sealer goes on. Follow the label's directions for surface moisture and temperature.
- Do the repairs you noted in summer: crack filling, joint sealing, edge patching.
- Regrade the edges. Soil and mulch beside a slab should slope away from the house, not toward it.
- Check the crack tapes. If you marked cracks with tape and a date, compare them with last year's photos to see whether any are growing.
When to call a concrete contractor
Routine care won't fix everything. Ask a contractor to take a look if you see:
- a crack wider than a pencil, or one that widens from one season to the next;
- one side of a crack sitting higher than the other, which is a trip hazard and a sign the base has moved;
- a slab that has sunk toward the house and now sends water at the foundation;
- broad flaking or a surface that turns to powder when swept.
Ask what caused the damage before discussing repairs. A patch over a washed-out base won't last; the water problem has to be solved first.
Records worth keeping
Keep the contractor's name and license number, the pour date, slab thickness, reinforcement, joint layout, sealer product and each resealing date in one folder. Those notes make the next repair quote easier to compare and are useful to a buyer if you sell.