Repairing concrete floor

[GzrGlide]

I tried the search but didn't get any hits for what I was looking for. So I'll just ask I guess.

Our existing 20 x 22 garage was built about 12-15 years ago on a pad that had been there for over 10 years before that. The pad was poured large enough that there is another 4 feet that extends from under the garage towards the yard side, and is used as the sidewalk. The pad has a seam/joint running the length of the garage from about 5 feet from the inside of the wall.

The problem is that the concrete is starting to deteriorate quite badly, especially around the seam. I also have water coming in under the wall on the yard side when it rains or snow melts, making me think the slope of the pad in that area is wrong.

What are my options to repair the concrete floor to provide for a smooth paintable floor that is sloped correctly to prevent water from coming in?

In a perfect world, I would like to lift the garage, add a layer of concrete to the pad to smooth it out and then pour 18-24" stub wall all around the garages foot print (just to get more ceiling height) and set the garage back down on the stub wall. But is that possible? Is there a product or process out there that will do this and last for a long time (meaning "forever")?

Any other suggestions?

 

[Fxjnkmn]

Hello, You might ck into mudjacking, or slab jacking to level your concrete. It would be best to talk to the contractor to find about what he could do for your specific problem.

 

[dxdexter]

I tried the search but didn't get any hits for what I was looking for. So I'll just ask I guess.

Our existing 20 x 22 garage was built about 12-15 years ago on a pad that had been there for over 10 years before that. The pad was poured large enough that there is another 4 feet that extends from under the garage towards the yard side, and is used as the sidewalk. The pad has a seam/joint running the length of the garage from about 5 feet from the inside of the wall.

The problem is that the concrete is starting to deteriorate quite badly, especially around the seam. I also have water coming in under the wall on the yard side when it rains or snow melts, making me think the slope of the pad in that area is wrong.

What are my options to repair the concrete floor to provide for a smooth paintable floor that is sloped correctly to prevent water from coming in?

In a perfect world, I would like to lift the garage, add a layer of concrete to the pad to smooth it out and then pour 18-24" stub wall all around the garages foot print (just to get more ceiling height) and set the garage back down on the stub wall. But is that possible? Is there a product or process out there that will do this and last for a long time (meaning "forever")?

Any other suggestions?

Do you have any photos? I would like to see if the deterioration is the result of freeze-thaw damage.

I hear it gets cool in "Winterpeg"

 

[Kevin54]

Mudjacking would work on a sloping slab, but it will not cure what the problem is you are having. Your best bet is to have a foundation wall. But witout pics it would be hard to tell which way to put one under would be best. There are about a half dozen alternatives. One would be to jack the garage up, remove what is there, then build the foundation wall and sit the garage back down. Another would be to build on wall inside the garage, one wall outside the garage, have it jacked up and moved over a couple of feet. Another would be to have a moving company slide some long beams under it, move it completely back, build your foundation, then have it set back on the foundation. Last alternative would be to dismantle, then rebuild. Now if the garage is on a hill, then that would be the easiest if you could lose some of the hill You could brace the garage where it sits on the existing floor, dig down and remove the hill, have the foundation built up to your bottom plate, then sit the garage on it. Then a Bobcat and jackhammer could remove the existing slab and have a new on poured. But the very best alternative is to talk the wife into you needing a new larger garage and start on a clean slate. LOL!!

 

[GzrGlide]

Do you have any photos? I would like to see if the deterioration is the result of freeze-thaw damage.

I hear it gets cool in "Winterpeg"

Hope these photos help.....
They all show the seam/joint I mentioned, but you can also see the general condition of the floor. Click on them for a larger version.







Yeah. It definitely gets cold here. Windchills in the -45 to -50 range for days on end. We're tough though. Besides it's a "dry cold".

 

[Junkman]

Looks like poor grade of concrete to me, and the best way to remedy the problem would be to start over. You could have the garage jacked up and then a new foundation and floor poured, but by the time you pay for jacking and having it reset on the new foundation, you will probably be at the cost of materials to build a new and better garage. Don't know how the labor costs are, but it seems that the best framing crews come from Canada, so a good crew should have the new garage up in less than a week. Build it big enough the first time, and make sure that you have someone who knows what they are doing put in the foundation.

 

[Steve in Mi]

The photos make me wonder if the original forming lumber (or some of it) might not have been left in, only subsurface by an inch or two. Wouldn't have showed up with total exposure but now with freeze-thaw cycling from parking hot cars in the space water in the hairline cracks is icing and something has to give. Starting over fresh might be the best alternative [a building is only as good as its foundation - this one is questionable at best]. If you are able to build a new garage that suits your needs/future plans certainly it will have an insulated floor and heat for your comfort, right? Plan and save for the "better than perfect world" and I think you'll acheive it.

 

[GzrGlide]

Well I talked to a company today that specializes in garage work & restoration and he told me that he could come in and jack up the garage and remove/replace the floor, but by the time he did that I might as well wait a few years till I have the $$$$ together and just start from scratch. It would be a better long term solution considering that anything else would be a patch job, and they really don't like doing that.

Looks like i'll be working with this one for a while as it is. I'll look into the mud-jacking as well, but I may just end up replacing the entire thing with a larger one down the road.

Things are never simple.