Navigation

concrete cracks

by Carma

Q. I have an interior concrete slab that has cracked where my vinyl floor is to be installed, how can I prevent the crack from continuing after I membrane and patch the crack prior to laying the vinyl? This is new construction. Should I have the contractor first repair the crack? What would the process be for the repair? The crack is approximatly 3' long and between 1/8" to 1/4" wide.

A. This is fairly common with interior slabs and you shouldn't loose any sleep over it. Concrete cracks, but it's more noticeable on interior slabs because there's no control joints to hide them. If it continues to open wider then there's a problem with the foundation and not the slab itself. For cracks there is no fix. It's impossible to glue concrete back together, but it can be treated. For vinyl flooring, all you need to do is fill it with a crack filler and strike it off flush. Just about any crack filler would work since vinyl is a flexible flooring. You can find crack fillers at any hardware or home improvement store.

If there's vertical displacement (one side of the crack is higher than the other), then it should be addressed by the contractor to find the root of the problem and take steps to level the floor.