MORE LOCATIONSUncover the secrets to successfully fixing concrete floor cracks
While concrete is a widely favored construction material known for its durability and resilience, as time passes, concrete can crack. Various factors like temperature fluctuations, shrinkage, or settling are responsible for concrete cracking. These cracks do more than just alter the aesthetics of structures. They can trigger additional harm if not promptly addressed. Keep reading to explore easy solutions for fixing cracks in your concrete floor.
Using Epoxy Injections
- Epoxy injection is suitable for bonding cracks with openings greater than or equal to 0.05 mm. This method involves sealing cracks by injecting epoxy beneath the crack. Identifying and addressing the root causes of these cracks before injecting epoxy to prevent recurring issues is crucial. Issues such as leaks and silt contamination can compromise the effectiveness of epoxy, making it essential to rectify these problems before epoxy injection to ensure long-lasting results.
Epoxy injection for crack repair requires precision and skills, so it’s essential to entrust this work to a knowledgeable professional. However, it’s important to note that epoxy resin can lose its strength when exposed to fire or high temperatures, necessitating fireproofing protection for structural repairs involving epoxy.
Routing and Sealing
- Routing and sealing are more common and simple approaches to crack repair. This method is typically employed when only remedial crack repair is necessary and structural repairs are not needed. Routing and sealing are suitable for addressing inactive cracks that do not require restoring tensile strength.
The crack is widened along its exposed surface, creating a V-shaped groove with a minimum width of 6 mm and a depth of 6 to 25 mm. This V-shaped groove is then filled and sealed with an appropriate material, making it a popular choice for concrete crack repair. It’s crucial to consider the width-to-depth ratio when sealing the joint to ensure sufficient space for movement.
Stitching Cracks
- Stitching cracks is one of the simplest and most durable techniques for repairing concrete cracks. This method involves drilling several holes along the surface of the crack and using metallic wire for stitching.
A U-shaped metallic wire is threaded through these holes and securely anchored using grout or an epoxy-based system. When it is required to repair a vertical crack in the concrete that runs in straight lines, this is a good method for its cost-effectiveness and less time-consuming.
Vertical Crack Repair Method
- This method proves cost-effective and time-efficient for repairing a straight-line vertical crack in concrete. In this method, holes are drilled vertically into the cracks, forming a key. Grout is added to this key to seal the crack and prevent leaks effectively.
Concrete crack repair offers several techniques, including gravity filling, dry packing, overlay, and surface treatments. The choice of repair method depends on the crack’s characteristics and whether it requires remedial or structural repair. This method is also commonly referred to as the wall crack repair method.
Portland Cement Grouting for Large Cracks
An effective repair method for repairing large cracks involves filling the cracks with Portland cement grout. The procedure has the following steps:
- Thoroughly cleaning the concrete along the crack.
- Installing built-up seats (grout mesh) at appropriate intervals to establish a pressure-tight connection with the injection equipment.
- Sealing the crack between these seats using cement paint, sealant, or grout.
- Flushing the crack to ensure cleanliness and testing the seal.
- Finally, grouting the entire area to complete the repair process.
If you notice cracks in your concrete basement floor and require professional help, call us at (877) 727-2259. Our experts at Crack-X will inspect your property and take the necessary measures to repair your basement floor . Crack-X is a civil structures repair company operating in Maine and New Hampshire.