How to Prevent Concrete Floor Cracks

The manner in which concrete is made and installed can prevent the majority of cracks from developing in floors. An experienced concrete contractor can install concrete in a way that prevents unsightly cracking and potential repair costs down the road. At GFC, we understand how to prevent concrete floor cracking to ensure a high-quality installation.

Below are several tips that can help prevent concrete floor cracking sometime after the installation:

Base Preparation

The quality of the base upon which concrete is poured dictates to a certain extent the quality of the floor, if it is a ground floor. If the base is not compacted and sturdy, it will likely not provide adequate support to the floor, which will result in cracking. Proper base and foundation preparation is necessary to ensure proper concrete setting and the prevention of voids afterward.

Properly Cure

Concrete may take several weeks to completely dry and settle. For the first week after pouring the concrete, surface cracks may be avoided by spraying the concrete a few times per day. If the weather is dry and warm, applying even more water may be helpful.

Add the Proper Amount of Water

Determine the proper amount of water to add to the concrete mix during the construction process – check with the concrete manufacturer or the instructions on the bag for the amount. An indication of the proper amount of water added is a smooth concrete mix. If the mix is too wet, add additional dry concrete. If the mix is crumbly, add more water to mix in the dry pieces.

Add Control Joints

You can redirect potential cracks by cutting weak spots into a floor slab through the use of control joints. When properly added, any cracks occurring in the floor slab will occur in these areas instead of in a more important or critical location.

Add Steel Reinforcement

Adding reinforcement or wire mesh in the proper location prior to pouring the floor can prevent or minimize the problem of cracking.

Proper Concrete Finishing

The use of proper finishing techniques and waiting the proper amount of time between finishing operations is helpful to prevent floor cracking. Flat floating and troweling are useful procedures for proper finishing. Sometimes the use of vibrating screeds can overwork the concrete, leading to aggregate settling, and excess fines and bleed water to rise. If bleed water is on the concrete surface, do not finish the concrete. The water will enter back into the concrete instead of evaporation, resulting in cracks.

For information about the concrete flooring services we offer at GFC, call us today at 763.559.8732, use our contact form to request a quote or schedule a service appointment.