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Help!! New Garage Floor Cracked..

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by rcnut223, Jul 12, 2011.

  1. rcnut223
    Joined: Oct 12, 2006
    Posts: 1,275

    rcnut223
    Member
    from wisconsin

    Can you fix it or ?
     
  2. Saxon
    Joined: Aug 9, 2008
    Posts: 2,157

    Saxon
    Member
    from MN

    Best of luck, I hope it turns out for the best.
     
  3. iammarvin
    Joined: Oct 7, 2009
    Posts: 1,196

    iammarvin
    BANNED
    from Tulare, Ca

    Don't be. Please tell us you did soil compaction tests? If so you'll be fine. If not, you will have to talk to your contractor.
     
  4. I just had to come back for 1 more look see, Dude, I feel sick for ya man.
     
  5. Mac_55
    Joined: Mar 10, 2008
    Posts: 688

    Mac_55
    Member


    A cold joint will cause a crack .

    Can it be fixed as it sits ? No ...... Not with any lasting effects anyways . Dont let him grind your floor . you do not want that.

    It might not get any bigger and you may be fine with it . but if it is changing levels on either side of the crack like you said , well , that tells me its shoving down and the garage will push it a little farther . its gotta stop somewhere , just hard telling where that will be .
     
  6. socalmerc
    Joined: Feb 24, 2008
    Posts: 475

    socalmerc
    Member
    from socal

    does this guy have a Lic? what ever dealings you start to make with him get it in writing in case you have to go to court or he bolts and leaves you hanging. i think you should of stopped the work until this gets taken care of rather then letting them start framing it.
     
  7. Blue One
    Joined: Feb 6, 2010
    Posts: 11,459

    Blue One
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Alberta

    It's still not too late to take the framework down and start over. I would not complete the building on this base.

    You will be sorry. Your shop will only be as good as the base you put it on, this one needs to be removed and done over properly or else by someone else who is more competent.

    If you go ahead now every time you walk through the door in the future you will be pissed off.

    I know, I have been there, built a beautiful garage, and if I had stayed in the house long enough would have ended up jacking the whole thing up on beams and replaceing the floor and foundation.

    I had a hack who knew nothing of concrete do the slab. :mad:
     
  8. rcnut223
    Joined: Oct 12, 2006
    Posts: 1,275

    rcnut223
    Member
    from wisconsin

    So that everyone is aware. I was out of town friday saturday and Sunday. I arrvied Sunday night the frame work up and found the crack.

    I too originally thought that the crack was really nothing, it rained Monday night and the crack opened up and swelled.

    we are moving into this home in a week and the garage was necessary for the items we are moving.

    I meet with the contractor this morning...
     
  9. Kenneth S
    Joined: Dec 15, 2007
    Posts: 1,527

    Kenneth S
    Member

    One of the most piss poor concrete jobs I ever seen, (once the weight of the building is on it, it's going to go bad really fast, not to mention the cracking walls, doors that won't shut properly, etc) it should get it ripped out, and redone. Don't use the same contractor for the new slab. Not using rebar, and or wire mesh through out is like wiping your ass first, then taking a crap.
     
  10. 5window
    Joined: Jan 29, 2005
    Posts: 9,516

    5window
    Member

    Rent a storage garage for your stuff. There's no way that the weight of the building will help and it will be so much harder to fix .
     
  11. Doright
    Joined: Jan 19, 2010
    Posts: 77

    Doright
    Member

    A lot of good info on how to do it right here

    Two Guarantees with concrete
    Its gonna crack
    No one is going to steal it

    3-4 inch slab is a waste of money and concrete in all builds except maybe a decorative walk way or a shed, Not for a House, Shop, or building.

    Only large Slabs I have ever seen not normally crack are Airport Tarmacs wich are over two feet thick.

    Never use a general contractor for cement work Hire a Mason who really knows what the heck he is doing! loose the middleman!
     
  12. R Frederick
    Joined: Mar 30, 2009
    Posts: 2,658

    R Frederick
    Member
    from illinois

    Should have covered the concrete with wet burlap and ran sprinklers on it to keep it wet. Looks like the surface dried out too fast and the surface of the concrete is popping off. Concrete needs to stay hydrated as it cures. Bridge decks are always hydrated for at least a week so this won't happen. He probably didn't even spray curing compound on it in effort to seal some of the moisture in.
     
  13. The37Kid
    Joined: Apr 30, 2004
    Posts: 30,629

    The37Kid
    Member

    Well, my floor got poured 5 years after I built the garage, pouring before the build is ass backwards IMO.
     
  14. Willy301
    Joined: Nov 16, 2007
    Posts: 1,426

    Willy301
    Member

    My friend poured my 30x50 floor in my shop, and it did crack, in the expansion joints as it was supposed to. He is not a big company but him and his co-worker pour a lot of concrete slabs in all kinds of weather at work.

    I agree also with the 28 day cure for concrete. At the end of that time is when you need to evaluate the floor. If the crack is deep and large chunks are coming out, he needs to repair it in an agreeable manner, replacement would be the minimum agreeable if I owned it because it means there is a problem with the mix or his method. If it is just a layer of slurry that dried fast and the sheets of concrete are coming off, that would not be a severe issue unless it leaves noticable low spots in the floor. I hope you get satisfaction from the floor or the guy if you decide it needs replaced. If it is a deep and continuous crack it will lead to failure of your pex tubing and the crack will widen with repeated heat and cool, concrete does cool in the summer. With the pex, replacement is the fix.
     
  15. This is how many new houses were built as far back as I can remember. My dad did his garage that way and the slab never did crack, but he knew what he was doing.

    Bob
     
  16. BJR
    Joined: Mar 11, 2005
    Posts: 9,817

    BJR
    Member

    If the slab is moving up and down on each side of the cracks, it is cracked all the way through the slab!! It will only move up and down so many times before the PEX starts to break and leak. It may take a year or 2 but what then? You will be stuck with no floor heat and no way to fix it. As much as I hate to say it YOU NEED A LAWYER NOW!! and stop construction NOW.
     
  17. It also depends on what has been added at the concrete yard to control the cure process. I did a shitload of concrete work with my dad in my youth and he'd have someone come back to the jobs to keep the surface wet, or have the homeowner do it.

    I'm watching a local beach bridge project now and they're doing a 3-lane resurface job, this had a manifold system that keeps it wet.

    Bob
     
  18. J'st Wandering
    Joined: Jan 28, 2004
    Posts: 1,772

    J'st Wandering
    Member

    The plus's for fibermesh is makes it easier to tear out the concrete. But that is the only good thing about it.

    I used fibermesh one time and not again. Rebar on everything. Without rebar, there is nothing to keep the slab from shifting around causing the cracks to move. The epoxy won't give it any stength, just a temporary fix. A sheet of cardboard will also cover the crack(s).

    A poor crew will tell you that you don't need rebar, a good crew won't pour a floor without it.

    Neal
     
  19. 1929modela
    Joined: Aug 11, 2010
    Posts: 76

    1929modela
    BANNED

    Like said before, Its fine, leave it alone. you cant fix it and it aint going anywhere. Its odd of a floor doesnt crack
     
  20. The amount of information in this thread is amazing and mostly correct. I have been an architect for 33 years and all of the comments are good, unfortunately most of us are too far away to see the actual installation. The advise in the quote above is a pretty good recommendation. Get a professional second opinion from a licensed inspector or structural engineer even if you have to pay for it. If you are forced to accept the installation you might end up in litigation later and having a professional inspection report on your side will be well worth the cost.
     
  21. VoodooTwin
    Joined: Jul 13, 2011
    Posts: 3,453

    VoodooTwin
    Member
    from Noo Yawk

    Up here in the NE region, we build footings and stub-up foundation walls down to 42" below the surface to get below the frost line to prevent movement due to the freeze/thaw cycles. We build the framing atop the stub-ups, finish off the build, then pour 4-inch rebarred and wire-meshed concrete atop a bed of 4-inch deep and well-tamped 3/4-inch gravel, covered with 6-mil plastic sheeting to keep the moisture under control under the slab. Nothing else would pass the building inspector's eye up here.
     
  22. Von Rigg Fink
    Joined: Jun 11, 2007
    Posts: 13,418

    Von Rigg Fink
    Member
    from Garage


    Word!
     
  23. If the OP is willing to go all the way and has little confidence that the job is up to par, why not summon the local building inspector to have him look at it? I know that most civilized places require a building permit to raise a garage and the punch list should include the selloff of the footings and the final pour.

    Bob
     
  24. R Frederick
    Joined: Mar 30, 2009
    Posts: 2,658

    R Frederick
    Member
    from illinois

    You mean, we aren't just a bunch of Hooligan Drifters?;)
     
  25. THE HELL WE'RE NOT!! Hooligans and Ne'er-do-wells, each and every one of ya's!
    Now, that said.... RC? Where you at in WI? There has to be another options besides rushing into getting your garage closed up so it can be used. That is looking like a horrible mistake. Get the inspector out there or hire an independant as other have said.
     
  26. zman
    Joined: Apr 2, 2001
    Posts: 16,730

    zman
    Member
    from Garner, NC

    yuck...

    x2

    Not even a band aid in my opinion...

    Bingo...


    as for all the replies that it's just a matter of when the concrete will crack. I disagree. I've seen properly poured slabs that are well over 30 years old with no cracks. Done correctly if it does crack it will be a long long time...
     
  27. silent rick
    Joined: Nov 7, 2002
    Posts: 5,207

    silent rick
    Member

    with no wire mesh, what is the pex anchored to? i'd be careful making cuts into the concrete for fear of cutting into the pex. shifting concrete isn't going to be good on the pex.
    i'd ask them to re-do everything.
     
  28. Like others have said, Hire an independant expert. Get the building inspector involved. Get this resolved now before it costs you two to three times more down the road.
     
  29. 48 Chubby
    Joined: Apr 29, 2008
    Posts: 1,014

    48 Chubby
    Member Emeritus

    Right now, not tomorrow, right now is when you should find some one local- arcitect, a second contractor, a rep from the company that provided the ready mix, a structural engineer, or a combonation of folks that are qualified to make the call. Seems the same guy that built the house you are about to move into built the garage? At this point in time you are about to get the home of your dreams or a living hell. Garages used to build cars should be built by builders who know what they are doing.
    Seldom does the guy with the lowest bid provide the most satisfactory product or the most outstanding warrantee.
     
  30. Highly qualified Hooligan Drifters!:rolleyes:
     

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