My 1st floor flat has an external balcony & stairs to the garden, made of reinforced concrete. There's been some movement and it's cracked over time (50+ years it's been there I think).

Is there a product that can fill the cracks? Builder says no. I'm concerned as water gets into it and the steel is rusting, cracks getting bigger etc.

if the cracks are getting bigger and steel is rusting then its fubared.

"fubared", yet still holding up fine?

Is there a product that can fill the cracks?

Al – if the steel in the reinforced concrete is rusting it expands as it rusts causing the cracking. Nothing you put on the outside will make any difference once this process has started. Its fubared.

Not even stopping it from rusting?

fubar'd = Foocked Up Beyond All Repair.

It can still be standing at the same time as being beyond repair.

Fill the cracks with cement or any waterproof filler. Leave it and see what what happens; if it moves again then it's time to replace it.

If the cracks are increasing in size then how will anything seal it? Once the process starts I don't think it can be stopped.

here is an article on conservation of concrete

http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/concrete/concrete.htm

I was thinking of something tar-like that you could paint over. I appreciate that long term it's f**ked but it's got to be good for a few years and I've no £ to replace it just now.

As I said before, fill the cracks with cement or any waterproof filler. Leave it and see what what happens; if it moves again then it's time to replace it. How far would you fall if it gave way? Is that a real risk? Do you have pics?

Why not put a couple of these on to monitor the movement?

You could something as simple as expanding foam filler, I guess your main aim has to be to stop water getting as this will speed up the rate of damage.

You didn't say if the cracks where cosmetic or structural, if they are structural I'd suggest getting a Structural Engineer to look at it.

Will sealing the cracks just lock water / salt in and make it worse? I would be concerned it might.

**** up beyond all recognition is the original phrase, coined in the army. So its not fubarred as I'm assuming it still looks like a set of stairs. Sounds like a goner though!

I have a degree in building conservation and it is what i do for a living. As mentioned above once the steel starts to rust it cannot be stopped and the expansion of the steel will tear the concrete apart from the inside. I understand that you cant afford to fix it right now but i would suggest propping it up with acro-props or hammering large wooden props into place to support it until the funds are there to replace it i would expect this to hold for a number of years if necessary depending on how bad it is now.
If you fill the gaps the steel will continue to rust and make the cracks bigger which will obviously render said filler useless other then cosmetically.
pm me some pics if you want a more detailed advice.

Now if you had a ferroconcrete yacht, you wouldn’t despair.

You would chip or blast away the concrete where it was spalling, treat the rust (phosphoric acid is your friend) and slap more concrete in. Perhaps welding in a bit more steel.

Maybe that would work for you.

Mason’s Mortar in Salamander St have all the motar products ever invented and a dead helpfull guy in the office. Failing that: with fine gaps that you can’t get mortar into, a tube of the polyester resin (screwfix)
used for fixing in steel bolts into brick/stone works well; it won’t fall out!
There is loads and loads of tired cracking concrete all over town (am admiring a prime Basil Spence, cica 1970 out the window right now!) so I wouldnae go mental with it, unless you can get your fingers in the gaps right now!

thanks, cracks aren’t huge.

OK some pics here:

I understand the cracks were sealed over 10 years ago. The outer facing of the landing weakened after the winter’s freeze so I pulled it off.

Comments welcome…but don’t be upset if I take them with a pinch of salt, my builder is pretty released about it (and he’s trustworthy).

bit of paint on the railings and it should be fine

Is it not worth at least filling them with a flexible mastic to stop water getting in over winter, even if it doesn’t stop the rusting?

Looking at that il just break it up and relay new mortar
and new membrain underneath

Its not going to come down immediately but it is very much weakened and nothing you put on top will make any difference. The only proper answer is remove and replace.

For those who don’t know Al is only a few hundred yards from the sea – salt will be in the air.

That’s nothing.

Stick Fosrock in the cracks then just go over the whole landing with a cold liquid-applied waterproofing product – which is what appears to be what’s on there now, just worn out and broken cos of the cracks.

Looks more like the structure below the stairs is subsiding. Hope not!

don’t be upset if I take them with a pinch of salt

Salt will just make it worse