You enter your garage and suddenly notice a long, spindly line weaving through the concrete. You ask yourself: Is my garage floor cracking? How did this happen? When did it happen?
There could be a few different causes for your garage floor cracking, which we will get into. However, fret not – there are solutions that can not only seal over the cracks but leave your garage floor more durable and aesthetically pleasing than before.
1. Shrinkage
When garage floorings are first installed, they go through a process called curing. This is essentially when the wet concrete settles and dries, hardening the material. Whilst curing, the concrete loses moisture, which can cause some shrinkage. If the shrinking happens too quickly or unevenly, this causes cracking.
2. Settling
Another cause for your garage floor cracking is the ground underneath settling. Especially for new homes where the foundation hasn’t had enough time to fully compact, the dirt under the garage may shift. This creates problems for your concrete flooring. As the shifting happens, the hardened slabs of concrete will be inflexible enough to maintain its solidity and cracking will occur.
3. Extreme Temperature
If you live in a place with extreme or big changes in temperatures, then it can lead to your garage floor cracking. When it’s hotter, the concrete will expand, and when it’s colder, the concrete will shrink. This back and forth will cause cracks if there aren’t proper expansion joints installed in your flooring.
Expansion joints join together slabs of concrete while allowing for there to be enough mobility to accommodate changing weather conditions. However, inefficient installation without consideration of temperature changes can lead to unfortunate cracking in the concrete.
4. Excessive Weight
Though concrete is generally a pretty durable material, it can still crack as a result of bearing excessive loads. Too much weight on one spot or area creates tension and stress on the flooring, resulting in the concrete breaking. If you have a heavy vehicle or store weighty equipment in your garage, this can create too much pressure on the concrete flooring and lead to cracking.
5. Poor Installation
It’s unfortunate, but still possible, that your garage floors may not have been installed or cured correctly. The wrong ratio of concrete and water can make the concrete too wet and cause the concrete to dry unevenly or be weak when it has set. Installers may have also improperly cured the concrete if they rushed to complete the work. Unless the flooring is kept moist for the first few days of drying, it can dry too quickly, leading to garage floor cracking.
6. Tree Roots
If you have ever tripped over a raised bump in the sidewalk, this was likely caused by a tree root growing underground and pushing up the concrete. This can also happen in your garage. If you have trees close to your garage, then you may have hidden roots moving things around. They can either directly push into the concrete, breaking it up, or cause the surrounding dirt to compress and shift.
What Do I Do About It?
Concrete garage floor cracking doesn’t always look the best, giving your garage an old and unkempt appearance. Not only this, but even minor cracks allow for moisture, chemicals, and dirt to get trapped, furthering the problem and leading to structural weakening.
A great solution to deal with the cracks in your flooring as well as prevent further damage is investing in epoxy garage floor coating. The cracks are first filled in and then coated with epoxy coating to cover the surface of the floor.
Benefits of Epoxy Coating
Epoxy floors are an exceptional option for protecting your garage floors from further damage. Many people choose to get epoxy coatings for their garages because of all the benefits:
- Resistant to chemicals
- Withstands heavy loads
- Long-lasting
- Moisture resistance
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Customizable
- Easy to clean
- Slip-resistant
- Cost-effective
Installing an epoxy floor coating gives your garage floor a polished shine, while improving the durability and lifespan of your concrete flooring.
At Garage Floor Masters, we specialize in epoxy floor services, giving you confidence in the appearance and strength of your garage floor. If you are struggling with your garage floor cracking, we can help give it the treatment it needs. As part of the coating process, we will fill in the cracks so the coating can last and have a smooth finish.
Reach out to us today to get your garage floors looking their best.
