OfflineWhen you walk through your properties a lot of times people feel like a crack in the cement is a very serious situation. Cement slabs may settle with or without cracking. The implications may be trivial or significant. Tapping on the floors for hollowness below will tell you whether there is erosion or missing fill below the slab. This can occur when there are underground expensive soils which have dried out and shrunk. It can also occur where the slab is on organic material that is decomposing, or the subgrade material was disturbed and is re-compacting.
Look for other movement in the building. If walls have moved as a result, the slab may be structural and corrective action may be necessary. This can include excavation and repair or replacement of footings, mud jacking which means to inject concrete slurry under the slab to fill voids, or monitoring the situation.
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Before you install any flooring material over a concrete slab, it is important to inspect the slab for defects. Dips, bulges and cracks occur frequently as concrete cures and ages. These imperfections, particularly cracks, require diagnosis and repair before you can install flooring over them. The magnitude and cause of a crack in the concrete slab will determine the type of flooring you should install over it.
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Determine the Cause of the Cracks
Two common types of cracks, which occur in concrete pads -- shrinkage cracks and settlement cracks -- require different repair strategies. Shrinkage cracks, caused by the evaporation of water out of the concrete as it cures, are typically superficial and not structural. Settlement cracks result from a deficiency in the original construction, the failure of construction materials used under the slab or the intrusion of foreign material under the slab, like moving water or tree roots. Settlement cracks are commonly structural because they usually extend through the entire depth of the slab. Determining the cause of the crack is not always easy and may require you to seek professional advice before proceeding.
How to Repair Shrinkage Cracks
Shrinkage cracks are always smaller in size than settlement cracks. They are not very deep and usually do not have any vertical displacement on one side of the crack. To repair shrinkage cracks, begin by removing any jagged edges along the crack with a hammer and cold chisel. Vacuum the crack to remove all of the dust and debris. Apply duct tape along both sides of the entire crack, and apply an epoxy-based resin into the crack. Fill the crack entirely with the resin, and smooth it with a gloved finger. Sprinkle sand on the surface of the resin to allow flooring finishes to bond to the surface of the crack. Allow the resin to cure completely before you remove the duct tape.
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How to Repair Settlement Cracks
Settlement cracks are always larger and more dramatic than shrinkage cracks. They will often have vertical displacement on one side of the crack, they will almost always extend down through the slab and sometimes they will leak water continuously. Begin the repair in the same manner as the shrinkage crack: Cold-chisel the crack’s edges and vacuum away the debris. If water is present in the crack, make sure to completely dry out the crack before applying the epoxy resin. A handheld hair dryer works well in this situation. Completely fill the crack with resin and cover it with a crack-suppression membrane when the resin has cured. Follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions, and extend the membrane to at least 5 inches on each side of the crack.
Level and Seal the Concrete Slab’s Surface
Level the concrete slab by using a long, rigid straightedge to locate high and low spots in the surface of the concrete pad. High spots may require grinding the concrete to achieve a level surface. You can usually find concrete grinders at local tool rental locations. Clean the concrete surface, and apply a thinset compound to all of the low areas until the surface of the concrete pad is smooth and level. Allow the thinset to completely dry before you seal the surface of the concrete pad. Sealing prevents moisture from evaporating out of the porous concrete surface onto the new flooring installation. There are various types of concrete sealants. Make sure that the sealant you plan to use will work properly with the flooring you plan to install.
Install the Right Flooring for the Situation
Any type of flooring may be used over properly repaired shrinkage cracks if the entire concrete surface of the pad is leveled and sealed. The vertical displacement associated with settlement cracks is not curable, and it will continue to worsen over time. This will limit the type of flooring you can use over it. Linoleum, ceramic tile and any other type of rigid or brittle surface will be damaged as the crack shifts or expands in the future. Carpeting or laminate flooring with a foam membrane underlayment would work well in this situation. dhowe
Slab settlement is most common in slab-on-grade home and buildings where the floor slab is closer to the ground surface and therefore more influenced by the soil in the 'active zone'. Concrete settlement typically occurs because the soil beneath the concrete element simply can't support the weight of the material.
Cracks in a floor slab and dropping floors often indicate a foundation settlement problem. Sometimes those cracks can be misleading. It is possible that while the foundation remains stable and in place, the floor slab alone is settling. Or, the slab cracks can be the result of a problem called heave.
Slab settlement usually occurs because of one of the following reasons:
Drying and shrinking of the soil under the slab
Washout of soil under the slab
Poor compaction of fill soil
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Slab repair products
Our slab foundation repair products can close foundation cracks, eliminate trip hazards, restore property value, and most importantly, allow you to rest easy knowing your foundation problem is solved once and for all. The products we offer for foundation slab repair can be installed year-round and include a written, transferable warranty.
Slab repair installations can usually be completed within a week with minimal disturbance to interior and exterior finishing. For severe cases - we offer solutions that avoid the disruptive and expensive slab replacement method - we have permanent slab stabilization solutions with the ability to lift slab and interior partition walls back to their original level.
Our slab repair products are as follows:
PolyLEVEL™
PolyLEVEL™ System
PolyLEVEL™ takes the original concept of mud-jacking and combines it with modern knowledge and technology. Rather than using a mixture of concrete and mud, PolyLEVEL™ utilizes high-density polyurethane to raise slabs back to a desired level.
A chemical reaction causes the foam to expand with powerful force. The foam pushes the settled concrete up toward its proper position, while also flowing into loose soil and filling voids caused by soil settlement.
Foundation repair specialists can often repair sunken concrete using proven concrete lifting techniques. Instead of demolishing the sunken concrete, they can overcome weak soil problems and restore the concrete to its proper level. Most of these nondestructive concrete repairs can be completed in less than a day. There are no trips to the landfill, and there's no need to wait for freshly poured concrete to cure.
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Slab Pier System
Slab Piers
The slab pier system can stabilize and restore concrete slabs damaged by settlement. The pier consists of interlocking tubular steel sections. An adjustable bracket connects the top of the pier to the underside of the slab.
Slab piers are designed to be driven deep into the earth, bypassing soils that are ill-suited to support weight, so that your floor can be supported by strong, competent earth. Slab piers also provide an opportunity to lift your concrete slab back to its original position, often closing cracks and eliminating tripping hazards.
You should use slab piers in all cases except when either the floor slab is extremely thin or the cracking is extensive. supportworks