new garage cracked floor

[bmxdukie]

Hey guys,
my wife and I are having a new house built.
The garage is 27 ' x 27'.
When the cement contractor poured the floor 32 mpa but did not saw cut it.
The floor is 2 months old.
That said it cracked pretty good in both directions across the garage.
Obviously, other than tearing it out. I suggested to the contractor to cut it, fill the cuts with silka and then epoxy it.
Maybe I am wrong, but that will then cover the cracks as well as the cuts correct?
I am in Ontario Canada and the wife will be parking a salt and snow encrusted truck on this floor.
Any suggestions of what to use, when to apply it and finally if I am off base.
Also suggestions on product available in Canada.
Thank you.

 

[James-W]

The saw cuts should have been done right away and not 2 months later. I think it may be a good idea to wait awhile longer and see if you get more cracks.

 

[bmxdukie]

Yea I know about the saw cuts...
I would have told them to do them but I cant walk for 6 months as I shattered my knee sept1.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

The product i think you are referring to is an elastomeric urethane. It is a filler. It will not bond the slabs and it will not offer any structural benefit.

A better repair material would be epoxy or polyurea.


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[bmxdukie]

Im not looking at fixing the cracks..
just want an expoxy that will cover them
so the cracks dont show.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

You must repair before coating.
The coating will not fill them.

Think of this as body-work on a car. The better the prep, the better the outcome.

 

[gdh33]

I live in Ontario also and had a local contractor pour a 30x40 pad. They did not cut control joints, this is how they normally do it, I have minimal cracking. It has been a year. We must use 32 MPa air entrained concrete that resists freeze thaw and salt better. How many garages in Ontario are bare concrete and last decades?

All that being said fill, then coat your concrete for a longer life and better looks.

 

[bmxdukie]

Ok I will fill the cracks and use an epoxy coating.

 

[Armorpoxy]

We would recommend our Crack Repair Epoxy Putty which is like an epoxy spackle, or if they are very large our Epoxy Mortar. As discussed above the repairs need to be done first, as no liquid alone will 'fix' a floor.

 

[bmxdukie]

We would recommend our Crack Repair Epoxy Putty which is like an epoxy spackle, or if they are very large our Epoxy Mortar. As discussed above the repairs need to be done first, as no liquid alone will 'fix' a floor.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! That is what I need for my builder.

Can I get your products in Canada?

 

[Armorpoxy]

Here is our link to our popular helpful Surface Prep Memo

http://armorpoxy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Surface-prep-memo-Revised-09152015.pdf

 

[Kensgarage]

Tell the jerk contractor to rip that **** out and put a proper floor in.
The house is brand new and start "riggin'" already ? WTF.

 

[zporta]

how quickly did that cracks occur? are they shrinkage cracks or a structural crack? obviously concrete cracks and the objective is to control where it cracks hence the term "control joints"

pictures would help

 

[Kevin54]

My floor had hairline cracks in it 24 hours after it was poured. I'm not very happy, although I believe they might be cosmetic and not structural, but there is no way to tell without tearing a section out. And the more I look at the floor in general, the less I am pleased with it. I may just call my concrete guy up and see what he wants to do with it, and see how he responds to me. I know that he can't afford to go to court, so I may approach him about repairing it by epoxying the complete floor. Like I said, it may just be cosmetic and not structural. But it pisses me off either way.

 

[GophersGarage]

when I did my shop floors I used (A gravel) first I think it was then rented a packing machine to get it nice . then ordered cement with fibermesh. next day the guy came in to do the cutting.

a lot of the time the cracks are from not packed down gravel.

 

[checkthisout]

My 40x48 slab is 6 years old. Not a single crack in it anywhere.

The concrete guy came back with a little diamond saw 2 days after the pour and cut about 1/2 deep in a crisscross pattern between each support pole. (pole building).

 

[jake75]

anyone ever use the rustoleom crack repair epoxy?

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

I don't understand why the control joints weren't cut in the day after the floor was poured. When my 1000sf floor was put in last August, the joints were cut in the following afternoon. Unfortunately when the guys showed up the day after there was a single small crack from front to back of the garage. The owner and the entire crew were livid. All of them were older guys with many decades in the concrete busy. The owner of the concrete business had warned me there could be a small crack or two, "that's just concrete".

The concrete outside was 3x what the garage floor was and there are NO cracks a year later.

 

[TheJDMan]

We would recommend our Crack Repair Epoxy Putty which is like an epoxy spackle, or if they are very large our Epoxy Mortar. As discussed above the repairs need to be done first, as no liquid alone will 'fix' a floor.

Armorpoxy,
I had a new concrete driveway poured about 1 1/2 years ago and it is cracking in places. Will this epoxy mortar work outdoors?

 

[tsiawd]

Most concrete cracks its really not a big deal though. It should have had control joints cut in it though.

 

[joes169]

As a concrete contractor, controlling cracks isn't just luck, but pure diligence. I have been using a "Soff-Cut" saw for 12+ years, and in Summer, I saw probably 80-90% of concrete the same day. I take extra steps isolating inside corners with soft felt to allow for shrinkage movement, we cure seal almost everything within an hour of finishing, and I carry a pair of slippers in my truck so I can get on a slab to saw as early as possible with out marring.

When I read on different sites on the web that "concrete cracks, that's just the way it is", I'm dumbfounded. It's pretty simple really, you just need to smarter than the concrete you're placing.

That said, I still have have to deal with a rondom crack every now and then, but it's not because I'm too lazy, late, or ignorant to respect the concrete. And most customers realize this, and have an easier time living with it.

 

[checkthisout]

As a concrete contractor, controlling cracks isn't just luck, but pure diligence. I have been using a "Soff-Cut" saw for 12+ years, and in Summer, I saw probably 80-90% of concrete the same day. I take extra steps isolating inside corners with soft felt to allow for shrinkage movement, we cure seal almost everything within an hour of finishing, and I carry a pair of slippers in my truck so I can get on a slab to saw as early as possible with out marring.

When I read on different sites on the web that "concrete cracks, that's just the way it is", I'm dumbfounded. It's pretty simple really, you just need to smarter than the concrete you're placing.

That said, I still have have to deal with a rondom crack every now and then, but it's not because I'm too lazy, late, or ignorant to respect the concrete. And most customers realize this, and have an easier time living with it.

I was told that many concrete guys have too much water added to the mix to make it more easily workable and thus excessive shrinkage occurs when curing which leads to cracks.

Is this true?

The guy that did mine really had to work to screed the stuff out. It was also a very wet and humid day and I kept a sprinkler on it misting it for 3 days so maybe my lack of cracks is at least somewhat luck.

 

[machsnell]

My 40x48 slab is 6 years old. Not a single crack in it anywhere.

The concrete guy came back with a little diamond saw 2 days after the pour and cut about 1/2 deep in a crisscross pattern between each support pole. (pole building).

it has cracks in it. they are just where they are suppose to be, in the control joints.

thats what they didnt do for the OP. i would say bad prep of subgrade in bad dirt to begin with, improper backfill compaction and using a plate tamper for stone under slab etc.

i would tell them to remove. i wouldnt want that on new construction. if they had cut control joints they would have protected themselves.

 

[machsnell]

As a concrete contractor, controlling cracks isn't just luck, but pure diligence. I have been using a "Soff-Cut" saw for 12+ years, and in Summer, I saw probably 80-90% of concrete the same day. I take extra steps isolating inside corners with soft felt to allow for shrinkage movement, we cure seal almost everything within an hour of finishing, and I carry a pair of slippers in my truck so I can get on a slab to saw as early as possible with out marring.

When I read on different sites on the web that "concrete cracks, that's just the way it is", I'm dumbfounded. It's pretty simple really, you just need to smarter than the concrete you're placing.

That said, I still have have to deal with a rondom crack every now and then, but it's not because I'm too lazy, late, or ignorant to respect the concrete. And most customers realize this, and have an easier time living with it.

what he said.

 

[machsnell]

I was told that many concrete guys have too much water added to the mix to make it more easily workable and thus excessive shrinkage occurs when curing which leads to cracks.

Is this true?

The guy that did mine really had to work to screed the stuff out. It was also a very wet and humid day and I kept a sprinkler on it misting it for 3 days so maybe my lack of cracks is at least somewhat luck.

yes the lower the slump (liquidity of concrete) generally better. they should use a ******** to consolidate the concrete and get a stronger more dense pour.

keeping water to pour after is good to slow the cure. hot days **** it out quick tho.

 

[joes169]

I was told that many concrete guys have too much water added to the mix to make it more easily workable and thus excessive shrinkage occurs when curing which leads to cracks.

Is this true?


Yes, absolutely. With today's technology, there are so many ways to produce a higher slump/wetter concrete (super plasticizer, mid-range reducers, etc...) if a contractor wants to make it easier that it's either ignorance or laziness to add tens of gallons of water.....


The guy that did mine really had to work to screed the stuff out. It was also a very wet and humid day and I kept a sprinkler on it misting it for 3 days so maybe my lack of cracks is at least somewhat luck.

The water and temperature make a HUGE difference as well, but the sawn control joints within a reasonable time frame are the main reason your floor doesn't have any cracks outside of the joints.......

 

[joes169]

it has cracks in it. they are just where they are suppose to be, in the control joints.

thats what they didnt do for the OP. i would say bad prep of subgrade in bad dirt to begin with, improper backfill compaction and using a plate tamper for stone under slab etc.

i would tell them to remove. i wouldnt want that on new construction. if they had cut control joints they would have protected themselves.

Absolutely, Amen.......

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

As I recall now, the guys who did my concrete work rented a larger compactor than they normally used and compacted the heck out of the gravel.

 

[joelw23]

I'm in the same boat.. New concrete with cracks... I filled with sikaflex and am going with pvc tile.. Concrete contractor is out of business


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[darkk]

I think I would fill the cracks, then cover the floor with tiles such as Racedeck or which ever company you choose. Costs a bit more than coating/painting it but you won't see damage and floor will be much nicer to you feet.

 

[James-W]

I think I would fill the cracks, then cover the floor with tiles such as Racedeck or which ever company you choose. Costs a bit more than coating/painting it but you won't see damage and floor will be much nicer to you feet.

I agree, in some ways plastic floor tiles are like carpeting, they can cover a multitude of sins.

 

[KaiserJeep]

I just poured my pole barn slab (36x48) this past Saturday. (The barn is up and dried in) We kept the mix pretty thick, and it took some work to moving the stuff around. The screed work was difficult, but manageable with the younger guys we had working. Power troweling completed by 9:30 pm, and the control cuts were done at 10:00 Sunday morning. I kept the slab wet until Tuesday night.

Wednesday morning (Yesterday), any patches of water were dried up, and the first coat of cure and seal was applied after lunch. So far, I have not seen any shrinkage cracks. A slow wet cure, timely installed control cuts, and a liberal coating of cure and seal, should greatly reduce cracking. At least it has for all of my projects over the years.