Preventing and Repair Cracks in Concrete

Water can cause concrete to crack, but it’s not the only possible cause of those splits. Learn how to diagnose – and fix – the problem. Plus, a tip for keeping water from pooling on garage floors.

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LESLIE: Now we’re going to take a call from Tim in Arkansas who’s got some concrete issues with his patio and his garage. What’s going on, Tim?

TIM: When it rains, I’m getting holes in the concrete. It’s a 4-inch slab and the concrete is cracking.

TOM: Alright. So the patio is a 4-inch slab, the concrete is cracking. Are there a lot of cracks in it? Like is it severely deteriorated?

TIM: Well, no. But it’s like – I don’t know. It’s kind of like going to the center of the garage and it’s like it started from the 4×4 part, the 8×8 pole. And it’s just kind of – oh, it’s just, I don’t know, just cracking. I don’t know how deep it is but it’s just kind for cracking all the way across.

TOM: So is the concrete slab inside the garage or is it next to the garage?

TIM: Right, right. It’s just inside the garage. It’s bent over the …

TOM: So, look, there’s no easy way to fix this. All you can do is seal the cracks in the concrete and cut down on the moisture that’s getting to the concrete. Sloping the garage floor is an option. Generally, when those slabs crack, it’s because there was some organic material underneath them that rotted away or perhaps the soil wasn’t compacted enough when it was first installed.

Replacing the slab is a project. Not probably as big of a project as you might think but it is a project. But unless it’s so cracked and so deformed that it’s causing a tripping hazard or some other concern like that, I wouldn’t do anything further than just sealing it and moving on.

TIM: OK. Well, it’s just a hairline crack. Yeah, you don’t think it’ll get any worse, do you?

TOM: It could but it’s not unusual for these slabs to have hairline cracks.

TIM: OK, OK. I mean it’s not bothering anything.

TOM: Yeah, I wouldn’t panic over it. It’s not a structural issue, because the floor is basically just there to give you a surface to drive on. It’s not tied into the foundation of the house.

Tim, good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.