Need to know how to repair concrete

When the previous homeowner developed the basement of our home, the floor drain in the mechanical room was left out. I'm a plumber; I can bust out the floor and install a drain. My dilemma is, once I have the floor open, fixing it to look decent again. I've never done any concrete and I'd appreciate any advice on how to fix it up properly after I put in the drain.
Thanks.

 

Shane...welcome to the Forums.

It's pretty easy...even I have done acceptable concrete repair..lol. I won't try and give you advice, as there are more qualified people than me that will answer.

It will be a little dusty or hard upper body workout depending on how you remove it...but basically you just refill the area with typical concrete mix...let the water come to the top...smooth it off...cover with plastic and let it sit for a few days. There may be things you want to put under and around the pipe...but I've never done exactly that kind of work.

 

After you've set the new drain to correct drain (slightly lower than surrounding floor), use a hand-tamper to firm up the dirt/gravel that's exposed. Slightly wet the area before you start batching your concrete, such that the wet concrete doesn't weaken by having moisture sucked out of it by the bone-dry subgrade. Consolidate concrete around and under the pipe and drain, using a spade, or better yet a spud vibrator if you have access to one. Use a 2 x 4 screed to strike off the concrete, using a sawing motion while bearing down on it to smooth and consolidate the surface. Use a wood, magnesium or resin hand float to float the screeded surface, then a smooth steel trowel to give it a final finish after the bleed water has evaporated off. You'll hear the surface "sing" to you as you bear down on it in smooth, sweeping strokes.

I'd suggest using Quikrete 5000 for your mix. It's reasonably strong right out of the bag, but don't make the mistake of adding too much water. Doing so will result in a weak mix, prone to cracking and/or dusting. Plastic will work for cure, but a coat or two of Kure-N-Seal is many times more effective and doesn't cost all that much (applied with a garden sprayer).