Ask an expert

Get free help from our community of tradespeople

Concrete

Posted by Jamie Harris, on
In October we had a 10 x 24 concrete slab poured for a porch we intenef to build this coming spring. A month ago I noticed a hairline fracture from one end to the other along the center. When you look at the edge of the slab you can see that the fracture goes to the bottom if the slab. This slab was stamped, stained and sealed. My concern is we live in Mo and is this going to become a serious issue. The I contractor acted like it was no big deal and happened because of the harsh winter we had.
ian cooper

ian cooper

Hi, Unfortunately concrete will crack, there is not a lot that can be done to stop it. If they are only hairline cracks then it's more than likely down to shrinkage of the concrete. The more water that was added when it was poured the more it will shrink. Even steel reinforced concrete will crack. The key is to make it crack where you want it to crack in a straight line by putting in a crack inducement cut. Simply run a floor saw in a straight line about a fifth of the thickness of the slab then fill the joint with a flexible mastic. But this needs to be done as soon as the concrete is hard enough to walk on. Hairline cracks won't cause any structural issues with the concrete. Hope this helps.

What would you like to do now?

Find more questions Create my Job

Homeowner stories

Homeowner stories - Nick

Nick shares his story of finding local tradespeople in his new area.

app-icon

Get our app for homeowners

  • Send messages and get notifications from tradespeople
  • Add photos to get more accurate quotes
  • View tradespeople’s profiles