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Driveway cracks
- Thread starter jlmotox
- Start date
Junkman
Well-known member
Poor quality work. The cement was probably watered down to go farther, and it might not be thick enough. I would call the contractor, and have him inspect it. There might be some recourse against the cement factory, if they didn't send the correct mix, but I doubt it. I would be taking a picture of the cracks and documenting everything, in case you need to go after the contractor. It is only going to get worse, so start preparing now for the battle..
Not sure about the control joints...? The slab has 1/2" deep groves that divide it up into 4 parts...is that a control joint?
The driveway was done and paid for by my homeowners association which is great but when I called them on this they said they sent a guy to look at it and he called these cracks "light vein cracks" and said this is normal...now I am having to take it a step further with the association and just wanted some knowledge on this before talking to them again.
The driveway was done and paid for by my homeowners association which is great but when I called them on this they said they sent a guy to look at it and he called these cracks "light vein cracks" and said this is normal...now I am having to take it a step further with the association and just wanted some knowledge on this before talking to them again.
mrjaw14
Well-known member
I have a similar question, but my concrete is older and cracking. What's the right way to fix this? I'm assuming opening the crack a bit and using some kind of filler?
Vegaman_Dan
Well-known member
How large are the sections with those control expansion joints? 10x10 is about the max. The joints are designed to stop those cracks from propogating across the entire surface.
There are a lot of issues that could cause cracks- thickness of the pour, size of the slab, ground preparation under the slab, moisture content of the pour, etc.
And yes, there is a certain amount of cracking that is acceptable as the norm. But usually it takes years to show up, not within the same year. A photo of the whole driveway with the cracks highlighted would help greatly here.
There are a lot of issues that could cause cracks- thickness of the pour, size of the slab, ground preparation under the slab, moisture content of the pour, etc.
And yes, there is a certain amount of cracking that is acceptable as the norm. But usually it takes years to show up, not within the same year. A photo of the whole driveway with the cracks highlighted would help greatly here.
monkeybar
Well-known member
Not sure about the control joints...? The slab has 1/2" deep groves that divide it up into 4 parts...is that a control joint?
The driveway was done and paid for by my homeowners association which is great but when I called them on this they said they sent a guy to look at it and he called these cracks "light vein cracks" and said this is normal...now I am having to take it a step further with the association and just wanted some knowledge on this before talking to them again.
Anybody reading here been to Hoover Dam? Million and a quarter cubic yards of concrete, the face still looks smooth as a baby's behind; imagine what "normal cracks" would mean?
Concrete properly done will not exhibit cracks. monkey
Mike in Ohio
Well-known member
Anybody reading here been to Hoover Dam? Million and a quarter cubic yards of concrete, the face still looks smooth as a baby's behind; imagine what "normal cracks" would mean?
Concrete properly done will not exhibit cracks. monkey
I am no expert by any means but I think this exactly right. Different guys did my house and shop. MY basement and attached garage have cracks everywhere, although in the garage a lot of it is my fault for not properly backfilling against the back wall. There is no reason for the cracks in the basement though.
My shop not one crack anywhere after 6 years. And it had to put up with the backhoe, fairly big tractors and everything else. The biggest thing the attached garage has seen is my '69 ford pickup at about 4500 lbs, my backhoe is upwards of 12,000. I do know who I will hire for my next concrete job.
monkeybar
Well-known member
Mike: Your signature is perfect! monkey
ConCretin
Well-known member
They are probably random shrinkage cracks, which are only normal if you fail to prevent or control them through good construction practices. They probably occurred at the time of placement but didn't show up until cooler weather caused the concrete to contract a bit.
I see at least one expansion joint but my guess is that the grooves they tooled in are not deep enough to act as a control joints or that there aren't enough of them.
It's primarily and aesthetic issue at this point and repairs would probably look worse than the crack.
I see at least one expansion joint but my guess is that the grooves they tooled in are not deep enough to act as a control joints or that there aren't enough of them.
It's primarily and aesthetic issue at this point and repairs would probably look worse than the crack.
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I see at least one expansion joint but my guess is that the grooves they tooled in are not deep enough to act as a control joints or that there aren't enough of them.
Agreed. I think the o.p. said they were 1/2" deep, and that's not deep enough to have any real affect as a control joint. Isn't minimum recommended depth about 25% of slab thickness?
Bob
bcradio
Well-known member
Concrete will always crack when poured for driveways and whatnot. You need more crack control joints to control where these cracks occur.