Call Us

877-376-9965

7 Steps to Prevent Concrete Floor Cracks in New Jersey

Concrete is considered one of the most durable materials for flooring options, but it can be tricky when mixing, pouring, and curing. To minimize cracks and ensure durability and longevity, you must follow specific ways to avoid concrete floor cracks.

As you continue reading below, we’ll discuss epoxying a concrete floor with cracks and the seven best ways to prevent concrete floor cracks. 

7 Steps to Prevent Concrete Floor Cracks in New Jersey

Can You Epoxy a Concrete Floor With Cracks?

Epoxy coating is a waterproof sealant that professionals can use to seal minor cracks in concrete floors. Before applying epoxy to concrete cracks, you should always consult a professional. You can use epoxy to fill minor cracks on the garage, basement, driveways, and restaurant floors. 

7 Best Ways to Prevent Concrete Floor Cracks

Here are seven ways you can prevent your concrete floors from cracking.

1. Don’t Use Too Much Water

When mixing concrete, it can sometimes seem tricky and difficult to integrate—many people who mix concrete use too much water during the mixing process. Even the tiniest amount of overuse of water can weaken your concrete, leading to cracks.

When mixing concrete, you must use the correct portion. Remember, if you plan to install epoxy floors, a professional must repair the cracks before applying to prevent moisture from developing under your floors. 

2. Control Joists

It’s inevitable that all concrete eventually cracks, but using control joists can prevent them from appearing too soon. From this, you can focus on easy-to-repair areas to prepare cracks utilizing a sealant. After pouring concrete, you should add your control joists within twenty-four hours.

There are a couple of types of control joists you can use:

  • Hand-tooled with malleable concrete
  • Flexible wood fiber

If you plan to use control joists, accurate placement is vital. For example, a primary four-inch deep concrete should have control joists eight to twelve feet apart. 

3. Cure Your Concrete Correctly

Concrete is a sensitive process during the first few days, taking almost a month to cure fully. What happens during this timeframe impacts whether or not you end up with concrete cracks. When concrete cracks appear, this makes your floors look unappealing.

If severe cracking occurs, cracks can impact the durability of your concrete floors. After pouring your concrete, ensure it is moist and has no heavy equipment on it. 

4. Use Reinforcements

Consider using reinforcements underneath to strengthen your concrete floors. To extend the lifespan of your concrete floors and prevent concrete cracks, you can use steel rebar or wire mesh grids. 

5. Well-Prepared Base

When you have a well-prepared base, you can decrease the chances of having cracks in your concrete. You should have a smooth base that has excellent drainage and is frost-free. If you don’t have a well-prepared base, your concrete slabs could move and make cracks appear.

Make sure you aren’t preparing on loose soil when preparing your base. If you have loose soil, this may cause settlement problems with your concrete.

6. Cover Your Concrete

To cover your concrete floors you can use an insulated blanket to cover it and to protect your concrete floors from temperatures below 50 degrees. When cold weather comes into contact with your concrete, this can impact the structural integrity of your floors and create cracks.

If you need to keep your concrete moist, spray down the concrete by uncovering the insulated blanket and then recover.

7. Monitor the Weather

When pouring concrete, the best to pour concrete is during warm weather. You should never attempt to pour concrete when the temperature is below freezing. Cover your concrete as best as possible if the temperature drops below 50 degrees.

You can use an insulated blanket or polythene sheeting to cover your concrete floors. In addition, you’ll want to prevent your curing concrete from encountering strong winds, which can also cause concrete cracks.

Why You Should Choose Jersey Epoxy for Your Epoxy Floors

At Jersey Epoxy, our experts provide epoxy flooring for indoor and outdoor concrete areas, including patios, pool decks, and walkways. We offer one-day services to complete the job on the same day, extend warranties, and have over twenty years of experience to provide you with the best quality epoxy flooring.

Our epoxy floor services include:

  • Consultation – During your consultation, our experts assess the condition of your concrete floors, style, and preferences and recommend the best option for your needs.
  • Installation – Once you’ve selected your epoxy flooring, our professionals schedule a time and day to install your epoxy floor. Our experts complete the installation by using high-quality materials and techniques to make your epoxy floors durable.
  • Final Review – Our experts inspect to ensure your epoxy floors meet our high-quality standards.

 

If you’re considering epoxy flooring for your concrete area, call us for a free quote today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Concrete takes about a month to cure fully.

You can seal minor cracks using epoxy coating, but not for large cracks.

Using too much water when mixing concrete can cause the structural integrity of floors to weaken.