Concrete floor problems

[KR69IDI]

I converted my 30x56 FBI building from storage to a heated shop back in '12. I have 2 16x10 OH doors in the building with a small pad outside of each one. My concrete contractor is getting all the blame in my opinion but figured I'd check with others that are more knowledgeable on this subject. Had problems with only one door last year and he patched it with what looked to me to be mortar but I'm not sure.

How can I have this repaired properly? The guy that poured this is not coming back on my property...

Thanks for any help!

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

I would knock all that loose mortar and broken concrete out. Clean out the dust and replace it with an epoxy repair patch. Anything cement based will shrink and crack.

The epoxy can be painted with some light-gray or beige acrylic deck paint for a consistent finish across the area.

 

[Elginz]

Where are you from?
Is the pad tied to the floor?

 

[Rookie2]

Looks like he poured the outside pad up against your floor . my friend has the same problem,heated floor with an added outside pad and no separation. I would make a 1/4
" saw cut completely thru that joint or remove as much as needed to get a clean cut.

 

[KR69IDI]

Central Illinois, the apron outside the building is not tied to the building pad but there is no expansion joint. They were separate pours.

 

[KR69IDI]

Looks like he poured the outside pad up against your floor . my friend has the same problem,heated floor with an added outside pad and no separation. I would make a 1/4
" saw cut completely thru that joint or remove as much as needed to get a clean cut.

This makes sense to me to resolve future issues but what is best to fix the damage already done?

 

[jhutch]

Before you fix it, do you know what's causing it, so your fix doesn't end up being damaged next season?

Are the outside slabs heaving up and causing the breakage? You say they are not attached, and I don't see rebar.

I agree that mortar and cementatious patches are not going to work.

 

[KR69IDI]

Before you fix it, do you know what's causing it, so your fix doesn't end up being damaged next season?

Are the outside slabs heaving up and causing the breakage? You say they are not attached, and I don't see rebar.

I agree that mortar and cementatious patches are not going to work.

That is exactly why I'm more concerned with fixing the problem rather than patching the damage. I don't know the problem.

There is no rebar attaching the 2 separate pads. The area under the doors are footers poured 36" deep, the pad is only 5". Thanks for any input.

 

[jhutch]

Then I think I would remove and replace the pads (They don't seem too large) and place some expansion joint material between. It seems like the outside pads are likely heaving in the winter and damaging your garage floor.

 

[KR69IDI]

Thanks for your input. Next step now is to find a concrete guy who is competent...

 

[Zeke]

Thanks for your input. Next step now is to find a concrete guy who is competent...

It may be too late for that. The part that is spalling is being attacked by the slab outside abutting it. Those fractures are hard to repair and the smaller they are the more difficult it is to do so.

I think I'd cut a 6 inch opening between the two, dig down to the frost line (sorry) and place new concrete with full depth expansion joints on both sides.

 

[KR69IDI]

It may be too late for that. The part that is spalling is being attacked by the slab outside abutting it. Those fractures are hard to repair and the smaller they are the more difficult it is to do so.

I think I'd cut a 6 inch opening between the two, dig down to the frost line (sorry) and place new concrete with full depth expansion joints on both sides.

Thank you for your input. At this point, of course I'm upset about the issue but I'll do what it needs to make this right. I'm done with bandaids.

 

[Rookie2]

I think the heated floor expands when the heat is on and the o/s pad can heave a little during a freeze period.

I feel bad because I watched the contractor (a young friend) dig out for my other friends pad and just assumed he knew what he was doing. Normally I would give an opinion and leave it up to the owner to make the call.

Also I would seal the top of the new joint/joints because any water that seeps down will be there to freeze and heave up in the winter. Water takes for ever to disperse under a pad.
Listen to Legacy Industrial !

 

[vettex2]

I fixed some issues like that in a rental shop many years ago with bondo.
It's still there 20 years later.

 

[IlliniJeeper]

It may be too late for that. The part that is spalling is being attacked by the slab outside abutting it. Those fractures are hard to repair and the smaller they are the more difficult it is to do so.

I think I'd cut a 6 inch opening between the two, dig down to the frost line (sorry) and place new concrete with full depth expansion joints on both sides.

In Central IL the frost line is 24" down or more. That'd be one hell of a concrete pad to pour it below frost depth to try to prevent a little heaving. Around here, the soil's so porous that putting that much concrete on it will mean you get to trade frost heave for slab sinking.

 

[CNGsaves]

Bad batch of concrete . . . along with poor planning/execution.

Time for "Mike Holmes" style . . . . . tear it out, and start over !!

There were large sections of Highway 50 in KS that were totally re-done at great expense . . . . BUT with **** concrete that just fell apart within a year. Narrow 1-lane traffic (with STOPPED traffic) while fixing caused lots of wrecks, including 18 wheeler plowing into car and killing people. Bad concrete is bad concrete. At least yours is fixable with no traffic wrecks involved.

Update your GJ Profile with City/State so other GJer's will know location.

 

[Jlbc212]

I would knock all that loose mortar and broken concrete out. Clean out the dust and replace it with an epoxy repair patch. Anything cement based will shrink and crack.

The epoxy can be painted with some light-gray or beige acrylic deck paint for a consistent finish across the area.

^^^ this.
I wouldn't blame the concrete contractor. Large differences in temperature between areas of concrete can cause the concrete to crack and spall. The contractor has no control over that, and he has limited control over the concrete coming out of the batch truck. You can create a lot of heartache and expense for yourself and end up with the same problem the second time around.

 

[Garage Flooring]

You have gotten a lot of great advice, so let me piggy back on that. You need to figure out where the problem is and fix the problem before you go and do a patch job that makes it look better for now. Honestly, right now, I would not buy anything.

Get somebody reputable in there and see what needs done. Hopefully you can get away without replacing the whole slab.... IF it turns out something simple will keep the problem from getting worse, then you look at some repair kits for aesthetic reasons.

 

[KR69IDI]

Thanks for all the information. It's clear that this could be over my head and time to call in the experts once the weather shapes up.

 

[Zeke]

In Central IL the frost line is 24" down or more. That'd be one hell of a concrete pad to pour it below frost depth to try to prevent a little heaving. Around here, the soil's so porous that putting that much concrete on it will mean you get to trade frost heave for slab sinking.

I think you did not visualize my suggestion. Per your information about the frost line, the repair would be 6" x 24" vertically. No pad, just a little wall in the dirt.

 

[KR69IDI]

I did some digging into the damage this evening. Sure seems like the pads are tied together with rebar now that I can see deep enough. This would explain why both pads are damaged in the exact same 4 places. Sure wouldn't have thought there was rebar between the two pads from the picture I took of the floor pour.