Saw Cut... Necessary?

[nsula_country]

Questions on saw cutting slabs.

We built our shop about 2 years ago. 4200 sq/ft of concrete. No saw cuts. Only minor cracks in a few places.

What benefits does saw cutting provide?

Would it benefit to cut it now before I seal?

What is the worse that would happen if not cut?

CT

 

[Armorpoxy]

Saw cutting makes natural 'weak spots' in the slab to help to prevent future cracking. If you intend to do this, probably best to do it now since if you coat it the cutting can cause chips and such along the edges which would not be coated. Cuts can be filled with crack fillers we carry, or most people leave them alone.

 

[nsula_country]

I plan on using a densifier on the floor. Looking for the most cost effective product. Preferably solvent based or the one that requires minimal prep. Not like oil and stuff, but just needs to be clean to apply.

CT

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Questions on saw cutting slabs.

We built our shop about 2 years ago. 4200 sq/ft of concrete. No saw cuts. Only minor cracks in a few places.

What benefits does saw cutting provide?

Would it benefit to cut it now before I seal?

What is the worse that would happen if not cut?

CT

Too late, need to cut when green.

 

[Ch3No2]

Post 4 is correct....needs to be cut within 24hrs of pour to be done correctly. The shrinking has already 99% stopped.

 

[zeeway]

While it is true that this concrete is cured, the slab can still find reasons to move with moisture, or lack of moisture. Some cracks develop late in life in concrete, as well as other things...If it were mine, I would still saw cut it.

 

[jives]

I understand the rationale for saw cuts -- concrete control joints -- but given that many places do not use them, I wonder their effectiveness. For instance, our house is on a 32 x 34 slab and has no cuts and no cracks. 8 yrs old. Our garage, now 2 years old is 32 x 42 and does have cuts also no cracks. Many large warehouses and stores with concrete floors have no cuts. Why?

 

[Thumper68]

Heated spaces don't need control joints, if the ground under a well prepped slab never freezes the chances of major movement is greatly reduced. I did not put any control joints in my shop because I new that it would be heated.

 

[nsula_country]

Not heated (yet). Mild climate, rare freeze conditions. Though heavy clay and wet/dry spells do stress our concrete slabs here.

Probably not an issue. Thought about asking the contractor to saw cut before pouring the slab. Though like many have said, I haven't seen many slabs in our area sawcut. Literally have only seen a few slabs with saw cuts in my almost 40 years of walking on this earth that weren't for decorative purposes.

Thank you for the help... Deintensifier is my next process.

CT

 

[850xpeps]

Heated spaces don't need control joints, if the ground under a well prepped slab never freezes the chances of major movement is greatly reduced. I did not put any control joints in my shop because I new that it would be heated.

Control joints and saw cuts have 2 different jobs to do.

It's too late to saw cut just leave it alone. If the grounds gonna move a saw cut isn't gonna save it from cracking or direct the crack. It's mainly used to control the crackingnin the curing process when it shrinks. That's over now.

 

[nsula_country]

Control joints and saw cuts have 2 different jobs to do.

It's too late to saw cut just leave it alone. If the grounds gonna move a saw cut isn't gonna save it from cracking or direct the crack. It's mainly used to control the crackingnin the curing process when it shrinks. That's over now.

So the hype over saw cuts is just for controlling the cure stresses? Not for controlling future cracks? If true, I feel better now! All concrete cracks, period!

Thanks!

CT

 

[850xpeps]

If you have movement from frost or bad ground it isn't gonna follow a small cut. Maybe for a small stretch but it will make its own path of stress. Control joints are full break all the way through so two pieces can move independantly without damage. They piece can tied together with dowels but that would be all.