Lafayette Epoxy Floors › Services › Concrete Crack and Joint Repair
Lafayette Epoxy Floors is the Lafayette starting point for floor crack and joint repair before coating. Snap a few photos of the worst cracks, note whether any edges are uneven, and request a free quote. A local epoxy flooring installer will call you back to look at the slab.
Most Lafayette area slabs rest on clay and silty soils that swell when wet and shrink in dry spells. That movement, plus normal shrinkage as concrete cures, leaves hairline cracks in almost every garage. Settled sections, chipped joints and surface spalls are less common but need more work.
How cracks are repaired
Installers usually chase a crack with a grinder or saw to open it, vacuum it clean, then fill it with an epoxy, polyurea or polyaspartic crack filler. Once hardened, the fill is ground flush with the slab so the coating lies flat. Some fills are tinted to blend with the base coat.
Wider cracks may get a flexible filler or a reinforced repair. If one side of a crack sits higher than the other, the slab may have moved, and grinding the high side may be suggested.
Control joints: fill or honor
Saw-cut control joints are placed so the slab cracks along them. Some owners want them filled and coated over for a seamless look. Others prefer the joints left open, or honored, so any future movement does not crack the coating. Each approach has tradeoffs; ask the installer what they recommend for your slab and why.
In shops and warehouses, open joints chip under hard wheels, so a semi-rigid joint filler is common.
When a crack is a bigger issue
Cracks that keep growing, doors that start sticking, or a slab that has dropped noticeably may point to a foundation or soil problem rather than a coating issue. A coating will not stop structural movement. In that case, have the foundation looked at first. For the rest of the prep process see concrete grinding and prep.
Frequently asked questions
Will repaired cracks show through the coating?
Fine cracks filled and ground flush usually disappear under flake. Active cracks that keep moving can reappear over time no matter the product.
Can pitted or spalled concrete be fixed?
Yes. Pits and shallow spalls are filled with a patching compound or resin mortar and ground smooth before coating.
Related services
Concrete Grinding and Prep
Diamond grinding, shot blasting and coating removal so new resin can bond to the slab.
Flake and Chip Floors
Decorative vinyl flake broadcast that hides dust, adds grip and gives a terrazzo-style look.
Slab Moisture Mitigation
Moisture testing and vapor barrier primers for damp slabs common in South Louisiana.
Back to Lafayette Epoxy Floors for all services across Lafayette and surrounding Acadiana communities in Lafayette, St. Martin, Iberia and Vermilion parishes.