Concrete Cracks | Enright Asphalt, Concrete, & Snow

Concrete cracks are common in areas all across the United States. In some regions, cracked concrete is common because of soil erosion. Other areas suffer from a dry and hot climate which causes soils under the concrete to dry and shrink. Whatever the case may be, cracked concrete is not something that most homeowners want to leave untouched.

Your Guide to Concrete Crack Repair

Whether you’re looking to fix a concrete crack yourself, or simply looking for options in repairing it, we’ve got the guide you need with three ways to tackle concrete crack repair yourself.

Seal It Yourself

If the concrete around your home has cracked but not settled, an easy fix is using a concrete patch material to seal the crack from becoming any bigger. Concrete patch material can be found at any home improvement warehouse or gardening center. Before sealing the crack, it’s imperative that you clear the area of any loose gravel or cement objects that have become displaced from the surface. Concrete patch material is used in a caulk-like fashion to inject the rubbery substance into the floor. Once filled, the crack will be sealed.

Rip and Repour

Depending on the severity of your concrete crack, the best method may be to rip out the old slab and repour concrete to form a new slab. This process is not recommended for DIY, as it requires a variety of specific equipment, as well as concrete expertise that will ensure the new slab does not crack or settle easily. Rip and repour will ensure the crack is gone and your concrete looks good as new.

Mudjacking

Mudjacking or slabjacking is a process that has more recently replaced the efforts of rip and repour. Traditionally used for highways and large roads, mudjacking has become more widely used in domestic conditions to fix a concrete crack and settlement around your home. You’ll need a professional to raise the concrete, but the process of mudjacking can be easily done by an expert in your area. The technique begins with strategically drilling small holes in the desired concrete slab. A mixture of cement and ground soils are pressure pumped into the holes, and once the voided space below a cracked surface is filled, the concrete is raised by pressure to meet back where the crack had originally formed. Once leveled and sealed, the holes are filled and the concrete is restored.

Knowing how to fix a concrete crack could save you time and money while protecting the value and appearance of your home and the space around it.

Have you ever driven through a parking lot or walked down a sidewalk and noticed what bad condition either surface was in? Perhaps, you’re hit a pothole that’s damaged your car or sprained your ankle due to damaged concrete. If that’s the case, you’re not alone. But what do you do afterwards? You can deal with your car and body, but what do you do about the concrete or asphalt that caused the issue to begin with? Read on to find out.

Reporting Sidewalk Cracks

Depending on the area of the country you live in, sidewalks are the responsibility of several different people. They could be part of the city, part of an establishment or part of a community. It’s important to locate the right contact to report issues with a sidewalk to, in order to ensure the issue reaches the right people.

In many cities, sidewalks are the responsibility of the property owners the sidewalks are connected to or the city themselves. The first call you make should be to the city to find out which one it is. If it’s the city, you can let them know right then and there what the issue, where it’s located and what happened that made you notice it. They will then do what they can to either fix or repair it within a reasonable amount of time.

If a community, business or property is responsible for sidewalks, it can get a little more tricky to get concrete cracks taken care of. In many cases, those that are supposed to take care of concrete sidewalks just neglect them because they don’t want to spend the money on them. It can be a hassle to deal with these folks, because they don’t care and don’t want to fix concrete issues on their property. You have to be persistent, and if they don’t respond in some way, you may have to report them to the city, anyway.

Ever been on a walk and caught your foot in a concrete crack or asphalt pothole? If so, you know how painful it can be. While most concrete cracks aren’t that serious, if left unattended for a while, they can grow and become an issue for those using sidewalks and walkways. Here’s how to avoid concrete cracks and keep your ankles safe.

Avoiding Concrete Cracks

The number one way to avoid concrete cracks is to ensure concrete is maintained throughout its lifetime. Depending on where the concrete is, different people may be in charge of maintaining it. If you notice issues with the concrete, such as cracks, you’ll want to report it to who is in charge of maintaining it. If you can’t find information to do that, call the city and report it to them who will either take care of it or give you information to contact who does.

If concrete is showing signs of wear and tear, it’ll begin cracking. These cracks usually start at the edge of a concrete block and work their way in, growing larger and more out of control as time goes on. If it’s a block of concrete that’s heavily traveled, you’ll see a simple crack turn into something much larger very quickly which can cause more issues when left unfixed.

Concrete cracks can’t be avoided. Eventually, concrete will start to get chipped and cracked. It’s important to do everything you can before that to extend the lifetime duration of the concrete and once you notice an issue, fill it or repair it the best you can. The worst thing you can do for a concrete crack is to let it go unrepaired for even a short amount of time, this can cause long-term issues that’ll force you to redo a sidewalk or driveway from scratch.

When walking, it’s important to pay attention to the concrete in front of you if that’s what you’re working on. This will help you avoid bigger cracks and avoid injury.