Can Cracked Concrete Be Epoxied?

Most cracks are not a problem

Shrinkage cracks, hairline cracks and settled control joints are extremely common in Connecticut garage and basement slabs, and they are repaired as routine preparation work. The crack is chased open with a blade, cleaned out, and filled with a structural repair material that is then ground flush before coating.

Filling a crack from the surface without routing it out first is cosmetic. It will reopen.

Static cracks versus moving cracks

A static crack is not going anywhere and, once properly repaired, stays invisible under the finished floor. A moving crack — driven by ongoing settlement, frost heave or a structural issue — will eventually telegraph back through any coating on earth, because no coating is stronger than the slab beneath it.

We look for the indicators during the estimate: vertical displacement between the two sides, cracks that continue up a foundation wall, and patterns consistent with settlement. If we see them, we tell you before you spend money, not after.

Spalling, pitting and old patches

Spalled surfaces from salt and freeze–thaw are ground back to sound concrete and rebuilt with repair mortar. Pitted areas are filled and re-ground flat. Old patches are evaluated for bond — a patch that is already loose comes out rather than getting coated over.

• Cracks routed, cleaned and structurally filled
• Control joints treated or honored through the finish
• Spalled surfaces rebuilt with repair mortar
• Loose or failing patches removed and redone

When a slab is not a candidate

Actively failing slabs, heaving sections, ongoing water intrusion that has not been corrected, and concrete that has lost structural integrity are not fixed by a coating. In those cases the right recommendation is repair or replacement of the concrete first — and we will say so rather than take the job.

Getting your slab evaluated

Photos of the cracks, taken straight down and with something for scale, tell us a great deal before we arrive. Send them with your quote request and we can flag a likely structural issue early.