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#Outdoor concrete slab crack repair product full
Make sure to follow along the crack so that both sides are level, full and flush. Grind, clean and fill them with a high-viscosity polyurea developed for this. Address cracks with differing elevations and with widths thicker than a quarter but less than ¼ inch.A grout coat could help by filling the thin void. When a PSC hasn’t been abused and is tight ( thinner than a dime), leave that crack alone and polish the floor.And PSCs get longer during curing, settling of the slab, and natural expansion and contraction due to environmental conditions.Ī maturing crack will get longer over time until it reaches a wall, column or possibly when the stress gets reduced or eliminated. They grow wider as the concrete experiences traffic, resulting in chipped, brittle edges. They often go down to the slab’s mid-depth.Īs the slab ages, these cracks grow with continued stressful influences. They vary in length and appear from a few inches to 10+ feet apart. We call these types of cracks plastic shrinkage cracks (PSCs). Likewise, significant size reduction of the coarse aggregate will also increase shrinkage because the water volume increased and the reduced aggregate size provides less internal restraint. When the water content increases, the amount of shrinkage increases proportionally.Ĭhanging to more sand (fine aggregate) content can also cause cracking. The predominant stress factor influencing concrete’s drying-shrinkage properties is the concrete’s total water content. Some of the most common stressors include drying shrinkage, thermal contraction or subgrade settlement of the slab. It ensures doable expectations are set, and the responsible party pays for any extra-work.Ī “stressor” causes plastic shrinkage cracks during and after the concrete hardens.
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#Outdoor concrete slab crack repair product how to
Having a basic understanding of the different types of cracks your crew may encounter, what to say, and how to address them can be very important. Your crew will know - instead of making well-intentioned promises to “help” the customers and end up making a problem yours that was the concrete contractor’s. Knowledge is power when the owner of a site asks the polishing contractor questions like: “Why did my concrete crack and how can you fix it?” Photo courtesy of Jennifer Fallerīeing proactive early can make or break the success of your project! It’s essential to educate your crew, so these questions don’t cause unneeded anxiety. Alternatively, you could fill the thin void with a grout coat. When a crack hasn’t been abused and is tight ( thinner than a dime), leave that crack alone and polish the floor.
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