How to Fix a Crack in the Garage Floor Where It Has Heaved Up
Garage floor cracks happen no matter how carefully the concrete gets poured. Different factors cause cracks to appear. A common cause of heaved concrete is from temperature changes in the base material in an unheated garage, especially during the freezing and thawing cycles of the colder months.
Another common cause of heaved concrete is an improperly placed expansion joint. Unless the crack creates several inches difference in the floor height, you can inject silica sand and floor crack repair compound into the crack to create a smooth surface on your garage floor.
Things You Will Need
- Chisel
- Hammer
- Shop vacuum
- Crack weld resin
- Silica sand
- Putty knife
- Medium-grit sandpaper
- Hand grinder
Tip
Plan on doing less than 10 to 15 feet of crack repair at a time, because the resin sets quickly. If you plan to install a concrete overlay over the garage floor after you patch the cracks, lay drywall mesh over the crack before the resin sets. This gives the overlay an additional layer of material to bond to. Once a concrete floor cracks and heaves, you can never make it look like new again. You can only patch the cracks to keep them from getting worse.
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Use a hammer and chisel to pry out all the loose concrete in the crack. Run a shop vacuum over the crack to remove small pieces of debris in the crack.
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Wet both sides of the crack with crack weld resin.
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Pour dry silica sand into the crack. Fill the entire length of the crack with sand.
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Add more crack weld resin to the crack. Saturate the sand with the resin. Allow this mixture to set in the crack for 10 to 15 minutes.
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Scrape the surface of the concrete level, using a putty knife. Use medium-grit sandpaper to sand the resin smooth. If you prefer, use a hand grinder to remove the rough edges.
The Drip Cap
- Garage floor cracks happen no matter how carefully the concrete gets poured.
- Unless the crack creates several inches difference in the floor height, you can inject silica sand and floor crack repair compound into the crack to create a smooth surface on your garage floor.
- Run a shop vacuum over the crack to remove small pieces of debris in the crack.
- Wet both sides of the crack with crack weld resin.
References
Writer Bio
Denise Brown is an education professional who wanted to try something different. Two years and more than 500 articles later, she's enjoying her freelance writing experience for online resources such as Work.com and other online information sites. Brown holds a master's degree in history education from Truman State University.
Photo Credits
- Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images
- Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images
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