ideas from the forum for large floor cracks.

[rktinc]

Need some ideas from the forum:

After 3.5 years of working toward finished up my circa 1901 building, I am finally ready to deal with these floors. Need some creative ideas from the group.

I am ready to start finish up my circa 1901 concrete floor. I am looking for good advice on how to deal with these heave cracks and failures in the floor expansion gaps. I am not looking for anything pretty, just trying to seal it and level it up to be able to park cars inside this room and keep people form tripping in the holes.

I spent a great deal of time digging out the loose bits and large pieces (ended up with a small trailer full of dust and rocks) I vacuumed every one of them so there is a clean bed of original material to build upon. I will be doing it myself like everything else in this project.


I know the "correct way" to repair this is to saw them out and pour new concrete. I have done that on one expansion gap already for the new sewer and water lines. I just can't bear to deal with the dust and mess of that again. I also am convinced that they will just crack and fail again over time. I need something flexible or at least easily touched up as it fails again. The previous owner used lots of quickcrete which failed miserably and turned to powder over the years with one spot of exception...

One place was repaired using small pea-sized gravel/chat as we call it around here. This very smalll aggregate mixed with some type of cement has outlasted every other patch in the building and is in a high traffic area. I am leaning toward buying a few bags of old fashioned chat and mixing some old style slurry up.

I have a few ideas:

1.) Is there some kind of floor leveler/mortar product with fiberglass in it?
2.) The epoxy systems look like they would work but are very very expensive and it would take too much material
3.) I tried mixing retail mulch/rock glue at full strength with different sized aggregate with some degree of success
4.) I will next try buying clear gorilla glue slightly diluted with small aggregate mixed in to fill these areas.

I know there is a new method in Europe replacing exterior concrete drives that use aggregate and epoxy resigns to create a pourable slurry that is laid down and trowled almost like plaster but I just can't seem to find the material here is the U.S.

Not really worried about the look as I will probably cover this floor someday with a HUGE order of Swisstrax. In the mean time I need to seal this with something forgiving as a 125 year old building moves a great deal.

Any thoughts from the forum members? See photos.

 

[Old tool guy]

Option “0” is the best and only way, options 1, 2, 3 & 4 are a waste of time & money.

 

[Rusted Nut]

Assuming the building doesn’t have any current erosion of the slab base still occurring, chip out any loose stuff and patch back with a cementitious patching compound.

Cool building!

 

[mm08822]

By the time you cut out all of the compromised floor only half will remain. The patches will look like hell. Rent a walk behind wet saw if you must proceed this way.

Complete floor replacement is the answer.

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

Since you’re asking for thoughts, I think it’s an exceptional space you got there, and personally I’d go above and beyond to fix that up right.

I understand that might be frustrating/ tiring while just thinking about it - but seriously, if the only issues are “dust” and “mess” there are many ways to minimize their impact. Yes, labor/time & material intensive but in the end worth it.

Patches will be patches, and I’d agree in heartbeat that the best option is a more or less full replacement.

And also Swisstrax can only compensate that much …

Cracks can be repaired, patched - but what I see in those pictures is far from “cracks”. That is substantial damage.

Fiber reinforced concrete does exist, here’s a good read on it: https://www.sika.com/dam/dms/corporate/a/glo-fiber-reinforced-concrete-handbook.pdf

Fiber reinforced screed/ leveling compound does exist as well, here’s a exemplary product: https://www.de.weber/en/bodenverlegung/bodenausgleichsmassen-und-duennestriche/weberfloor-4180 (ignore the reference to floor heating)

I wouldn’t invest in any of that without prior consultation with reps from the respective manufacturers regarding your specific situation.

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[mike93lx]

I know there is a new method in Europe replacing exterior concrete drives that use aggregate and epoxy resigns to create a pourable slurry that is laid down and trowled almost like plaster but I just can't seem to find the material here is the U.S.

I believe what you are talking about is called terrazo.

You can patch those holes, but it will be a lot of work.

 

[Old tool guy]

I believe what you are talking about is called terrazo.

You can patch those holes, but it will be a lot of work.

And terrazzo requires a good stable base, busted concrete like that isn’t going to work.

 

[rktinc]

This is all good information. I agree with all. Has anyone used the synthetic patch material that comes in buckets? It seems flexible and workable to some degree.

 

[ConCretin]

Unfortunately there is no easy fix here. I doubt any of your suggested ideas will result in a viable repair. You're not dealing with cracks, you're dealing with deteriorating, crumbling concrete in addition to what is very likely an inadequate base. The condition of the concrete at the joints suggests a lot of movement resulting from poor support from below.

A repair is only as good as the substrate it's applied to and yours is not very good. I hate to be negative but I fear anything short of complete removal and replacement won't last very long. You're definitely not going to able to avoid removing all that deteriorated concrete if you want the repair to have any longevity at all.