What To Do When Your Industrial Floor Slab Cracks?
A crack or hole in a concrete slab can be devastating to flooring surface integrity. Repairing concrete floors can be challenging, but with the right resinous finishes and the help of a professional epoxy contractor, the job can be accomplished quickly and economically. Read on to learn or you can visit this website www.gilbertflooringcompany.com on how facilities can utilize resinous coatings to repair cracks and preventively maintain floors, as well as how they can determine which resinous flooring is appropriate for repairing their specific concrete slabs.
Concrete floors are bound to crack over time. They cure, and then they settle, sometimes resulting in a cracked surface or slab. Once a crack exists, it can be worsened by other routine activities and common events. Things like moisture seeping into the cracks, exposure to oils or chemicals that contaminate or corrode the floor, poor cleaning due to existing cracks, and vehicles driving over the cracked surfaces will all aggravate cracks in a concrete floor.
There are many reasons why concrete floors crack. The important thing is that when it happens, you know what you should and should not do.
Let’s clarify one thing: Cracks in a floor and joints in a floor are two different things. Cracks appear in concrete as a result of curing, aging, abuse, and sometimes unseen substrate issues. Joints, on the other hand, are there by design to control cracking, isolate slab movement, or formed with new slab pours.
How Do You Repair It?
A simple solution for cracked concrete floors is the use of control joints, but only during the initial slab pour. Control joints help concrete floors to crack along straight lines.
Some other repair solutions include caulks and specialized fillers. Caulks and fillers range from rigid to flexible properties allowing it to expand and contract or fill the void.
Depending on the type of activity your floor endures and the nature of the cracks themselves, we may recommend a specialized filler. Facilities that deal with corrosive chemicals or reoccurring cracking usually require specialized fillers, whereas high-traffic facilities can usually get away with a filler designed to simply restore strength and even out the surface.
Sometimes the right repair solution for bad cracks and broken joints in concrete floors requires a deeper repair, not just a surface fix. Unless handled properly, these damages will only grow over time.
When to Repair Cracks in Concrete Flooring
Without protective systems in place, concrete slabs can be highly susceptible to cracks. What appears to be just a hairline surface crack can soon deepen and spread, growing into a serious trip-and-fall hazard. To alleviate further damage, even fine cracks in the concrete should be repaired as soon as they are noticed. Epoxy and other resinous materials, mixed with special aggregate or thickeners, are commonly used for patching up defects in concrete slabs. A flooring specialist can determine which resin floor chemistry is most desirable for each facility’s existing concrete flooring.
Preventative Measures for Maintaining Flooring Integrity
It pays for managers to stay on top of their facility’s flooring condition and address any damage as soon as possible. Facilities can work with their flooring contractor to repair the beginning stages of any cracks or breaches in the concrete surface. The flooring contractor will have on hand the various materials needed to preserve concrete floor slabs, including the appropriate epoxy or resinous floor coatings, aggregate blends, gelled patch kits, moisture vapor testing equipment and remediation systems. Depending on the environment of the facility, the flooring contractor may utilize specific materials for installation, including systems capable of curing in cold temperatures, moisture tolerant products, and quick-curing resins. Facilities may also want to keep their own repair kits in stock for expedient patching of any cracks or holes in concrete. Catching damage in the beginning stages can save on expensive resurfacing later.
