When most people look at concrete, they expect to see a few cracks. In fact, aside from fresh-poured pads, it’s probably hard to imagine concrete that doesn’t have cracks in it. Unfortunately, cracks lead to bigger problems if not treated. The good news is that they can be treated with the concrete crack repair. Minnesota business owners know that concrete repair is much cheaper than having to pour concrete again.
Why Concrete Cracks
Concrete faces a lot of abuse in its normal day. People drive on it, walk on it, drop things on it and rest heavy objects on it, among other things. It’s also under constant assault from the elements, being pounded with rain, sleet and hail, baked in the sun and often frozen and warmed up over and over again (especially in Minnesota). This freezing and reheating causes expansion and contraction of the material – often the most common cause of cracking, although the other abuses certainly contribute as well.
Problems with Concrete Cracking
If you’ve ever had a tiny crack in your windshield, you probably learned that if you left it unrepaired, it would grow bigger and bigger. It’s the same with concrete. A small crack allows moisture, sand, road salt and other material to accumulate, and this can have an abrasive effect on the edges of the crack, widening it. The edges or the crack are also easier to break off with the pressure of walking or driving on them.
Concrete Crack Repair
Cracks in concrete can be repaired by filling and sealing them. There are a few different ways to do this, depending on the size of the crack and the repair budget. You might use patching concrete, a filler material like rubber or a spray-in concrete patch. Once it is patched, it can also have a seal coating application applied over the top of it to prevent further damage.
Concrete Replacement
Total concrete replacement is much more involved than concrete crack repair. To perform a replacement, you need to remove the existing concrete (usually involving a jackhammer), set out forms, pour new concrete and let it set. In terms of time, money and effort, it is a considerably larger investment than repair.
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