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This spring I need to fill in a lot of cracks in my detached garage concrete floor and some on my driveway. It has 2 or 3 wide cracks mainly going widthwise accross the garage and a whole bunch of hairline ones. I've read a lot of articles and threads and looked at a lot of products and am thoroughly confused what to use. Most indicate clean it out with a vacuum/compressor and use a filler either backer rod or great stuff type foam in a can then there are all sorts of filler from polyurethane in a caulk gun canister to more expensive 100 solids epoxies to really cheap Quickcrete crack filler. Also some suggest chasing the hairline cracks with an angle grinder?
So what is the best technique/product? What about that rubbery black crack sealer the government uses on streets?
There are two kinds of concrete- cracked; and that that will crack!
Filling, with whatever material is hit or miss. The problem(s) are multifaceted. If the concrete is still susceptible to movement, it will most likely crack more with the filled cracks. If the materials that is used can withstand some compression, it may last a bit longer- but again, concrete that's still moving will most likely crack more.
I’ve used sikaflex elastic concrete filler before. Works pretty well. Vacuum cracks, scrape or chisel out loose concrete, rinse it and let it dry then apply the filler.
You can use a backer rod before using the product if it’s a deep crack.
I’ve used sikaflex elastic concrete filler before. Works pretty well. Vacuum cracks, scrape or chisel out loose concrete, rinse it and let it dry then apply the filler.
You can use a backer rod before using the product if it’s a deep crack.
Is Sikaflex epoxy-based? And does it work also for cracks in vertical surfaces? One corner of the garage foundation has cracks in it. There are also cracks in the slab, both indoors and on a section that is outdoors.
Is Sikaflex epoxy-based? And does it work also for cracks in vertical surfaces? One corner of the garage foundation has cracks in it. There are also cracks in the slab, both indoors and on a section that is outdoors.
Yes, it can be used vertically & horizontally both in and outdoors. It’s a polyurethane caulk.
When addressing the wider cracks, it always better to rout out the cracks to obtain a uniform width and depth for the sealant. It prepares the edges better so the sealant to adheres and allows the caulk to expand and contract equally when it has a uniform width and depth.
Leave the hairline cracks alone. Don’t mess with them until you need to. I second the silk a flex, used it in my driveway and one crack in the garage last year. I used an air compressor to blow out all the dirt. Mine weren’t big enough for backer rod.
Yes, it can be used vertically & horizontally both in and outdoors. It’s a polyurethane caulk.
When addressing the wider cracks, it always better to rout out the cracks to obtain a uniform width and depth for the sealant. It prepares the edges better so the sealant to adheres and allows the caulk to expand and contract equally when it has a uniform width and depth.
Most of the cracks are narrow, though long. This despite the use of joints in the concrete.
At this point, I am leaving 99% of the interior ones alone. The foundation corner cracks are getting wider, though; and some horizontal ones in a small piece adjacent to the garage slab at one door (both outside and just inside) seem to be the same but are a bit wider than most of the cracks.
Basically, I want to treat all the exterior cracks both horizontal and vertical, plus the foundation wall corner. And keep an eye on the others.
Most of the cracks are narrow, though long. This despite the use of joints in the concrete.
At this point, I am leaving 99% of the interior ones alone. The foundation corner cracks are getting wider, though; and some horizontal ones in a small piece adjacent to the garage slab at one door (both outside and just inside) seem to be the same but are a bit wider than most of the cracks.
Basically, I want to treat all the exterior cracks both horizontal and vertical, plus the foundation wall corner. And keep an eye on the others.
Thanks for the info!
You can fill the hairline cracks with a liquid crack fill if desired, there’re probably shrinkage cracks and if so, they won’t change in size.
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