Why do Concrete Floors Crack?

Hi, 

A few years back, I constructed a new room in our house. The construction was done from the base. Since last year, cracks have started to appear on the walls of that room. I got curious and started to research the cause of crack in concrete. 

Following this, I learned a lot about cracks in concrete and whether they are concerning or not. Here are some of the things that you should know about cracks in concrete. 

What Are The Concrete Crack Reason?

To determine the reason for concrete cracks and why these cracks appear, you should know about the types of cracks. 

Types Of Concrete Cracks And Why The Occour

: These cracks appeared in my house and should be repaired if they widen with time. 

These can appear if the ground beneath the slab isn’t done correctly.

: Generally, it happens when the concrete is curing. These can be prevented with the right joint placement. 

: These are as wide as a credit card and need to be repaired immediately.

There is no definite answer to when a crack might start causing problems. The crack might seem acceptable for the builder, but the owner needs to stay with it for the rest of their lives. 

But any crack that is wider than a credit card and keeps widening needs to be repaired as soon as possible. These might lead to irreversible structural damage in the future. Mine were hairline cracks which I got fixed during painting job. Hopefully, now you are aware of the cause of crack in concrete. 

As a concrete contractor, I can tell you that concrete is one of the most resilient and long-lasting materials you can use around your home when set properly. However, it is crucial that concrete contractors adhere to accepted standards for the laying of concrete to avoid cracks in concrete floors. Let me explain to you more about it.

Causes of cracks in concrete floor

1. Rapid drying of the concrete: The concrete floor may break severely if it dries too quickly since the process needs enough moisture. After laying your concrete flooring, the hydration process goes on for several weeks. Fortunately, correct curing will allow you to resolve the issue.

2. Excess water in the concrete mix: To facilitate their work on the job site, many concrete flooring contractors employ excess water to concrete ratio. However, the concrete's strength is diminished by excessive moisture. 

3. Pouring concrete of the wrong strength on the floor: Concrete comes in a variety of strengths and qualities. To prevent cracking, you should make sure you are pouring concrete of standard quality.

4. Poor control joints: The control joints enhance concrete's ability to fracture across a plane.

5. Pouring concrete on the frozen ground: Make sure the property is appropriate for installing a floor based on the soil quality in the area.

Concrete floor crack repair

1. To 2½ parts of masonry sand, add 1 part of cement. For a better outcome, be sure to use clean sand and either grade I or II cement.

2. Before adding water, thoroughly combine the dry batch.

3. To the dry mixture, add a liquid polymerized or latex bonding agent, or concrete crack repair epoxy. However, some bonding substances might need to be applied directly to the chipped surface. 

4. Do not flood the area; instead, dampen the chipped area with pure water. 

5. Rapid concrete drying and subsequent cracking can be prevented by moisturising the surface. 

This is all you need to know about

cracks in concrete floor.